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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. We're almost out of ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. file — a document
  3. current — happening now
  4. field — a subject
  5. file — a tool
  6. field — for sport
  7. cabinet — a cupboard
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. current — electric
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pop — to visit
  12. scale — size or range
  13. pop — music
  14. file — a line of people
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. field — farmland
  18. scale — in music
  19. pop — soda
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. suit — to fit
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. suit — in cards
  24. current — of water

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