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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.

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: file · rush · cold · current · date · mouse · plane · pop

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. The ________________ took off on time.
  15. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. Have you settled on a ________________?
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. mouse — for a computer
  3. date — the fruit
  4. cold — not warm
  5. current — happening now
  6. plane — a tool
  7. pop — music
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. current — of water
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. file — a line of people
  13. file — a document
  14. plane — an aircraft
  15. rush — hurry
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. current — electric
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. file — a tool
  23. cold — an illness
  24. pop — to visit

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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