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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  8. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  18. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  19. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. craft — a skill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. clip — a video
  5. field — a subject
  6. file — a document
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. firm — a company
  9. field — for sport
  10. rock — a stone
  11. file — a tool
  12. clip — to cut
  13. field — farmland
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. clip — for paper
  17. firm — decided
  18. craft — boats
  19. lie — to recline
  20. current — happening now
  21. rock — music
  22. file — a line of people
  23. firm — steady
  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