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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  23. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  24. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. pass — a permit
  3. current — of water
  4. current — happening now
  5. fan — a supporter
  6. file — a line of people
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. rest — what's left
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. stem — a stem cell
  12. rest — a break
  13. file — a document
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. file — a tool
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. sharp — clever
  22. stem — to come from
  23. stem — of a plant
  24. rest — what's left

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