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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. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  2. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  16. My mare is ________________ in color.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  24. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a part of the sea
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. file — a tool
  4. pound — for dogs
  5. file — a document
  6. current — electric
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. pound — a weight
  9. rule — to rule out
  10. bat — the animal
  11. current — of water
  12. court — of law
  13. file — a line of people
  14. sharp — clever
  15. pound — to hit hard
  16. bay — a horse colour
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rule — a law
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. rule — government
  22. court — for sport
  23. current — happening now
  24. court — of a king

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