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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: current · cabinet · chip · bass · roll · mug · file · fine

  1. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Where did you ________________ them?
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  22. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — all right
  2. current — of water
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. bass — low music
  5. file — a document
  6. chip — for betting
  7. fine — high quality
  8. roll — a list
  9. chip — in a computer
  10. mug — a face
  11. bass — the fish
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. current — electric
  14. fine — a penalty
  15. file — a tool
  16. file — a line of people
  17. mug — to rob
  18. current — happening now
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. mug — a cup
  21. cabinet — a cupboard
  22. chip — to eat
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. roll — a cake

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