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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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  22. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a tool
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. current — happening now
  8. current — electric
  9. fine — high quality
  10. fall — the season
  11. file — a line of people
  12. bat — the animal
  13. pass — a permit
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. current — of water
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. fine — all right
  18. scale — size or range
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. fall — to drop
  22. scale — in music
  23. file — a document
  24. scale — for weighing

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