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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. rock — music
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. kid — to tease
  6. file — a document
  7. rock — a stone
  8. current — happening now
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. fine — all right
  11. file — a tool
  12. current — of water
  13. fine — high quality
  14. root — the cause
  15. root — of a word
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. current — electric
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. lie — to recline
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. root — of a plant
  24. file — a line of people

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