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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. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. My mare is ________________ in color.
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  8. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. face — to confront
  2. current — of water
  3. file — a document
  4. bay — a horse colour
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. stock — goods
  8. chip — for betting
  9. tear — to rip
  10. current — happening now
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bat — the animal
  13. face — to point toward
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. tear — from crying
  17. chip — to eat
  18. file — a line of people
  19. stock — shares
  20. face — part of the head
  21. file — a tool
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. tear — from crying
  24. current — electric

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