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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The ________________ market has crashed.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. current — of water
  3. stock — goods
  4. vault — a safe
  5. clip — for paper
  6. clip — a video
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. stock — a soup base
  9. current — electric
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. stock — shares
  13. rush — hurry
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. staff — employees
  16. clip — to cut
  17. staff — employees
  18. staff — a stick
  19. current — happening now
  20. rush — to hurry
  21. net — in sport
  22. net — after costs
  23. net — for catching
  24. rush — a thrill

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