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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  8. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  13. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. We're almost out of ________________.
  16. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  17. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. net — in sport
  5. lean — thin
  6. clip — to cut
  7. fan — to cool the air
  8. current — electric
  9. pit — in a race
  10. file — a document
  11. clip — for paper
  12. lean — to rest against
  13. pit — a hole
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pop — soda
  16. lean — to bend
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. current — happening now
  19. file — a line of people
  20. net — for catching
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. current — of water
  23. net — after costs
  24. clip — a video

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