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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  23. He works in a ________________ mill.
  24. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. track — a path
  3. spring — the season
  4. board — a flat piece
  5. spring — a coil
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. spring — of water
  10. current — happening now
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. clip — for paper
  13. clip — a video
  14. current — of water
  15. cue — a hint
  16. track — a song
  17. board — a committee
  18. track — to keep track
  19. clip — to cut
  20. cue — for pool
  21. cue — a signal
  22. current — electric
  23. saw — the tool
  24. board — to get on

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