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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. I'll be taking the ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. My father caught me by the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. toast — a drink to someone
  4. file — a tool
  5. bark — to shout
  6. staff — employees
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. toast — bread
  9. tube — the underground
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. tube — a container
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. file — a line of people
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. staff — employees
  16. staff — a stick
  17. current — of water
  18. bark — of a tree
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. current — happening now
  21. bark — a dog's sound
  22. current — electric
  23. snap — to click
  24. file — a document

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