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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  6. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. This piece is in a major ________________.
  12. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fall — the season
  3. present — the time now
  4. current — of water
  5. key — the most important part
  6. fall — to drop
  7. track — a path
  8. fall — to drop
  9. file — a line of people
  10. file — a document
  11. key — in music
  12. key — for a lock
  13. current — electric
  14. track — to keep track
  15. present — there
  16. current — happening now
  17. file — a tool
  18. present — a gift

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