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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. mark — a grade
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. wind — moving air
  5. file — a document
  6. wind — moving air
  7. staff — a stick
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. mark — a trace
  11. bound — obliged
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. calf — of the leg
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. current — happening now
  16. bound — certain
  17. staff — employees
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. wind — to turn a key
  20. file — a tool
  21. current — electric
  22. current — of water
  23. bound — tied together
  24. staff — employees

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