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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  13. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. dip — to sink
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. pop — to visit
  5. file — a tool
  6. current — electric
  7. fine — high quality
  8. file — a document
  9. net — after costs
  10. net — for catching
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. net — in sport
  13. pop — music
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. file — a line of people
  16. track — to keep track
  17. track — a path
  18. fine — all right
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. patient — calm and waiting
  21. current — happening now
  22. current — of water
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pop — soda

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