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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. We're on a ________________ here.
  9. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. Did you ________________ the button?
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. press — a publisher
  7. last — finally
  8. roll — on a roll
  9. roll — a list
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. press — newspapers
  13. last — final
  14. current — happening now
  15. bass — the fish
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. track — to keep track
  18. current — of water
  19. last — to go on
  20. current — electric
  21. snap — to click
  22. bass — low music
  23. press — to push
  24. roll — a cake

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