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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. toast — a drink to someone
  3. game — wild animals
  4. current — happening now
  5. dip — to dunk
  6. file — a document
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. dip — to sink
  9. drill — a practice
  10. file — a tool
  11. current — electric
  12. game — a match
  13. drill — army training
  14. toast — bread
  15. court — of a king
  16. rest — what's left
  17. court — for sport
  18. toast — the most admired
  19. court — of law
  20. drill — the tool
  21. rest — what's left
  22. current — of water
  23. rest — a break
  24. dip — a sauce

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