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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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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: bay · jam · current · foot · tear · file · ground · rock

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  24. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. jam — to spread on bread
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. current — electric
  5. foot — a measure
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. file — a line of people
  8. current — happening now
  9. rock — music
  10. current — of water
  11. bay — a part of the sea
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. ground — the earth
  14. tear — from crying
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. bay — to keep at bay
  17. rock — a stone
  18. file — a tool
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. ground — crushed
  21. file — a document
  22. ground — a position
  23. tear — to rip
  24. tear — from crying

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