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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  23. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  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. pit — in a race
  2. file — a document
  3. current — electric
  4. spring — the season
  5. row — a line
  6. march — the month
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. row — to paddle
  11. spring — of water
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. current — of water
  14. current — happening now
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. march — the month
  18. march — music
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. file — a line of people
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pit — a hole
  23. spring — a coil
  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