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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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: coach · rest · squash · file · club · current · jam · mine

  1. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  6. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  7. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. file — a tool
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. rest — what's left
  5. squash — the vegetable
  6. jam — to spread on bread
  7. mine — for digging
  8. rest — a break
  9. squash — the sport
  10. club — for dancing
  11. squash — to crush
  12. current — of water
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. club — for golf
  15. file — a document
  16. rest — what's left
  17. club — a group
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. file — a line of people
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. jam — a tight spot
  23. current — electric
  24. current — happening now

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