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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  2. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for dancing
  2. suit — clothes
  3. file — a tool
  4. file — a line of people
  5. mate — a friend
  6. degree — an amount
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mate — a partner
  10. club — for golf
  11. club — a group
  12. file — a document
  13. suit — to fit
  14. degree — from a university
  15. current — electric
  16. mate — to breed
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. suit — in cards
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. current — of water
  21. current — happening now
  22. mine — an explosive
  23. degree — temperature
  24. straw — dry grass

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