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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. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. What do you think of the new ________________?
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. There's no middle ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. file — a line of people
  2. wound — an injury
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. current — of water
  5. season — of the year
  6. wound — an injury
  7. net — for catching
  8. ground — a position
  9. ground — the earth
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. file — a document
  12. current — happening now
  13. swing — music
  14. swing — in golf
  15. file — a tool
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. cabinet — ministers
  18. ground — crushed
  19. swing — to play on
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. net — after costs
  22. season — in sport
  23. net — in sport
  24. current — electric

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