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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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  2. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a document
  2. bark — to shout
  3. file — a tool
  4. wind — moving air
  5. wind — moving air
  6. swing — to play on
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. file — a line of people
  9. toast — bread
  10. fine — high quality
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. current — electric
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. current — of water
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. chest — a box
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. swing — in golf
  20. fine — all right
  21. chest — of your body
  22. swing — music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. current — happening now

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