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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  3. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  4. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  17. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. deal — a big deal
  3. deal — an agreement
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. face — to point toward
  7. deal — to handle
  8. craft — a skill
  9. file — a tool
  10. current — happening now
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. craft — boats
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. craft — a handicraft
  17. face — part of the head
  18. tube — the underground
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. current — electric
  21. tube — a container
  22. face — to confront
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. cabinet — ministers

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