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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 spa offers ________________ extensions.
  2. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lash — an eyelash
  2. band — a ring
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. rest — what's left
  5. band — a music group
  6. file — a document
  7. current — happening now
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. content — the amount
  10. current — of water
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. field — a subject
  14. field — for sport
  15. current — electric
  16. track — a path
  17. content — happy
  18. rest — a break
  19. track — to keep track
  20. rest — what's left
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. file — a line of people
  23. field — farmland
  24. file — a 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