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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. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  2. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  17. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  21. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. snap — to snap out of it
  3. swing — to play on
  4. current — electric
  5. fine — high quality
  6. wound — an injury
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. charge — electricity
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. snap — to click
  11. charge — in control
  12. current — happening now
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. fine — all right
  15. charge — a price
  16. tube — in a tire
  17. file — a document
  18. current — of water
  19. swing — in golf
  20. swing — music
  21. tube — a container
  22. tube — the underground
  23. wound — an injury
  24. file — a tool

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