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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 116 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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Have you found your soul ________________?
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. bass — low music
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. file — a tool
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. mug — to rob
  8. current — electric
  9. mate — a friend
  10. stem — a stem cell
  11. current — happening now
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. bass — the fish
  14. stem — to come from
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. mate — a partner
  17. file — a document
  18. current — of water
  19. mug — a face
  20. stem — of a plant
  21. row — a line
  22. row — to paddle
  23. file — a line of people
  24. mate — to breed

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