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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 124 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. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — of water
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. current — happening now
  4. file — a document
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. file — a line of people
  7. spring — the season
  8. roll — a list
  9. game — wild animals
  10. game — a match
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. current — of water
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. roll — a cake
  15. current — electric
  16. spring — a coil
  17. scale — size or range
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. file — a tool
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. scale — in music
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — steady
  24. firm — a company

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