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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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. The King held a masked ________________.
  4. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  8. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. We're on a ________________ here.
  12. She's very handy with a ________________.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. current — happening now
  3. ball — a dance
  4. roll — a cake
  5. mark — a grade
  6. track — a path
  7. face — to confront
  8. face — to point toward
  9. current — electric
  10. current — of water
  11. roll — on a roll
  12. saw — the tool
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. mark — to pay attention
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. face — part of the head
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. roll — a list
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ball — a great time
  21. track — a song
  22. mark — a trace
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. saw — the tool

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