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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. firm — steady
  3. current — electric
  4. last — final
  5. file — a document
  6. bound — certain
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. file — a line of people
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a match
  11. bound — tied together
  12. current — happening now
  13. can — a tin
  14. snap — to click
  15. last — to go on
  16. game — wild animals
  17. bound — obliged
  18. firm — decided
  19. firm — a company
  20. can — a tin
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. snap — to snap out of it
  23. current — of water
  24. can — to be able to

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