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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 120 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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  10. My father caught me by the ________________.
  11. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. track — a song
  3. track — to keep track
  4. fork — a garden tool
  5. fork — in a road
  6. last — finally
  7. track — a path
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. arm — a part of something
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. row — a quarrel
  12. game — a match
  13. current — of water
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. last — to go on
  16. ball — a great time
  17. current — happening now
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. game — wild animals
  20. last — final
  21. row — to paddle
  22. ball — a dance
  23. row — a line
  24. current — electric

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