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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 hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. file — a tool
  3. chip — in a computer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a line of people
  7. pitcher — a jug
  8. current — electric
  9. fine — high quality
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. degree — temperature
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. degree — an amount
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. fine — all right
  18. cell — a phone
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. chip — for betting
  21. current — happening now
  22. cell — in biology
  23. current — of water
  24. lie — an untruth

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