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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. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  9. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  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. pass — to spend time
  2. current — happening now
  3. file — a document
  4. prune — to trim
  5. content — happy
  6. club — for golf
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. content — videos and posts
  9. pass — a permit
  10. file — a tool
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. current — of water
  13. prune — to trim
  14. current — electric
  15. club — a group
  16. club — for dancing
  17. bat — the animal
  18. straw — dry grass
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. prune — the fruit
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. content — the amount
  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