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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 · bat · wind · toast · file · leaves · fan · rock

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. file — a tool
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. toast — bread
  5. file — a line of people
  6. current — electric
  7. wind — moving air
  8. toast — a drink to someone
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. current — of water
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. file — a document
  14. rock — a stone
  15. bat — the animal
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. fan — to cool the air
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. current — happening now
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. rock — to move gently
  22. wind — moving air
  23. toast — the most admired
  24. leaves — to go away

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