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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 124 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. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. The ________________ market has crashed.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  11. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  14. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  15. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. file — a line of people
  3. stock — shares
  4. file — a document
  5. tube — the underground
  6. current — electric
  7. perch — the fish
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. current — happening now
  10. fine — all right
  11. tube — in a tire
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. row — a line
  14. wave — with your hand
  15. stock — goods
  16. current — of water
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. file — a tool
  19. fine — high quality
  20. tube — a container
  21. stock — a soup base
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. perch — for a bird
  24. row — to paddle

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