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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. That was a fun ________________.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  18. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  19. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. game — a kind of play
  3. suit — to fit
  4. branch — of a tree
  5. track — a song
  6. suit — in cards
  7. current — electric
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. game — a match
  12. suit — clothes
  13. capital — a big letter
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. branch — a division
  16. capital — a city
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. branch — of a bank
  19. capital — money
  20. game — wild animals
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. current — of water
  23. track — to keep track
  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