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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  9. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  13. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  18. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. There's a computer ________________ on the table.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. file — a line of people
  3. cell — in biology
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. file — a document
  6. press — newspapers
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. chip — to eat
  9. bark — to shout
  10. cell — a phone
  11. file — a tool
  12. row — to paddle
  13. bark — of a tree
  14. current — electric
  15. rock — a stone
  16. current — of water
  17. press — a publisher
  18. chip — for betting
  19. current — happening now
  20. bark — a dog's sound
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. row — a line
  23. press — to push
  24. chip — in a computer

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com