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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 120 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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  15. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Don't do anything ________________.
  18. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. track — a path
  3. bank — of a river
  4. court — of law
  5. current — happening now
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. track — a song
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. row — to paddle
  10. current — electric
  11. row — a line
  12. rash — a series
  13. drill — army training
  14. drill — the tool
  15. bank — for money
  16. current — of water
  17. rash — hasty
  18. court — of a king
  19. mark — a grade
  20. rash — on the skin
  21. mark — a trace
  22. bank — for money
  23. court — for sport
  24. track — to keep track

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