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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. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  2. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  6. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  7. This piece is in a major ________________.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  13. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a tool
  2. bank — for money
  3. key — the most important part
  4. charge — a price
  5. bank — of a river
  6. wound — an injury
  7. key — in music
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. current — electric
  10. charge — electricity
  11. current — happening now
  12. wound — an injury
  13. key — for a lock
  14. mug — a cup
  15. hand — in cards
  16. mug — to rob
  17. hand — help
  18. bank — for money
  19. mug — a face
  20. charge — in control
  21. hand — part of the body
  22. file — a line of people
  23. file — a document
  24. current — of water

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