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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 124 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  4. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. That was a fun ________________.
  10. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  11. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  16. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  17. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  18. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. file — a document
  4. plane — in geometry
  5. ground — a position
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. ground — crushed
  9. game — a match
  10. file — a line of people
  11. chest — of your body
  12. chest — a box
  13. current — happening now
  14. staff — a stick
  15. jam — a tight spot
  16. chest — of your body
  17. jam — in traffic
  18. staff — employees
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — of water
  21. game — wild animals
  22. ground — the earth
  23. plane — a tool
  24. staff — employees

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