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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 120 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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ took off on time.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. cue — a hint
  3. row — a line
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cue — for pool
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. bass — low music
  8. file — a tool
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. bass — the fish
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. current — of water
  14. row — to paddle
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. file — a document
  17. file — a line of people
  18. row — a quarrel
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. cue — a signal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. plane — an aircraft
  23. plane — a tool
  24. current — happening now

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