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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 116 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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The ________________ took off on time.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. current — happening now
  3. pass — a permit
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. spell — a short time
  6. current — electric
  7. current — of water
  8. fine — all right
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. plane — a tool
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. spell — magic
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. plane — an aircraft
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. spell — letters
  23. fine — a penalty
  24. file — a line of people

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