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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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. cap — a hat
  3. suit — to fit
  4. file — a document
  5. rock — a stone
  6. current — electric
  7. cap — of ice
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. current — happening now
  10. rock — music
  11. current — of water
  12. row — a line
  13. file — a tool
  14. suit — clothes
  15. suit — in cards
  16. cap — a lid
  17. file — a line of people
  18. pound — a weight
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. net — in sport
  22. row — to paddle
  23. net — after costs
  24. pound — for dogs

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