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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  14. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. That must've been a ________________.
  23. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pit — in a race
  3. current — electric
  4. current — of water
  5. file — a tool
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. rule — a law
  8. bark — to shout
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. file — a line of people
  13. straw — dry grass
  14. rush — hurry
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. file — a document
  19. rule — government
  20. pit — a hole
  21. current — happening now
  22. rush — a thrill
  23. mouse — for a computer
  24. straw — a straw man

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