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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. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  7. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. content — videos and posts
  3. file — a tool
  4. net — for catching
  5. content — the amount
  6. key — for a lock
  7. field — for sport
  8. net — after costs
  9. file — a document
  10. key — in music
  11. fine — high quality
  12. current — of water
  13. file — a line of people
  14. key — the most important part
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. current — happening now
  17. field — farmland
  18. content — happy
  19. current — electric
  20. rock — a stone
  21. field — a subject
  22. rock — music
  23. net — in sport
  24. rock — to move gently

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