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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  7. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  15. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. current — of water
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. hand — in cards
  5. file — a line of people
  6. mark — a grade
  7. toast — the most admired
  8. file — a document
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. mark — a trace
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. pop — music
  14. leaves — of a tree
  15. mark — to pay attention
  16. last — final
  17. current — happening now
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. toast — bread
  20. last — finally
  21. pop — soda
  22. last — to go on
  23. current — electric
  24. file — a tool

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