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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. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  6. Did you ________________ the button?
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  10. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. When are we going to ________________?
  15. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  16. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  17. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  20. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. land — ground
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. can — a tin
  6. press — to push
  7. current — of water
  8. can — to be able to
  9. file — a tool
  10. mouse — the animal
  11. land — a country
  12. press — newspapers
  13. file — a line of people
  14. land — to come down
  15. current — happening now
  16. root — of a word
  17. current — electric
  18. track — a song
  19. root — the cause
  20. press — a publisher
  21. file — a document
  22. track — to keep track
  23. can — a tin
  24. root — of a plant

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