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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  3. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  12. How do you ________________ your surname?
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The tickets are free of ________________.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  18. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  23. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. spell — a short time
  3. root — of a word
  4. current — electric
  5. face — part of the head
  6. face — to point toward
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — for catching
  9. track — a song
  10. track — a path
  11. wind — to turn a key
  12. spell — letters
  13. current — happening now
  14. charge — a price
  15. face — to confront
  16. current — of water
  17. spell — magic
  18. root — of a plant
  19. net — after costs
  20. charge — in control
  21. wind — moving air
  22. wind — moving air
  23. root — the cause
  24. net — in sport

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