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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: file · bat · roll · current · mate · bowl · rule · can

  1. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.

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

Answer key

  1. rule — government
  2. current — of water
  3. current — electric
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. rule — a law
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. can — a tin
  9. can — to be able to
  10. roll — a cake
  11. file — a line of people
  12. mate — a friend
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. mate — to breed
  15. roll — a list
  16. rule — to rule out
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. current — happening now
  19. bowl — a football final
  20. file — a tool
  21. mate — a partner
  22. can — a tin
  23. bat — the animal
  24. file — a document

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