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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 116 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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. suit — to fit
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. current — electric
  7. ball — a dance
  8. face — to confront
  9. track — a song
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. face — part of the head
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. suit — in cards
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. mine — for digging
  16. face — to point toward
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. stand — to bear
  19. suit — clothes
  20. ball — a great time
  21. track — to keep track
  22. rush — hurry
  23. current — of water
  24. current — happening now

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