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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  17. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. ________________ you help me carry this box?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cue — a hint
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. current — electric
  7. can — a tin
  8. cue — a signal
  9. file — a document
  10. can — a tin
  11. current — happening now
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. bark — to shout
  14. track — a path
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitch — a sales talk
  17. current — of water
  18. file — a line of people
  19. cue — for pool
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. bark — of a tree
  23. file — a tool
  24. can — to be able to

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