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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. Did you ________________ the button?
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. current — happening now
  4. mug — a face
  5. wound — an injury
  6. current — of water
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. drill — a practice
  9. press — newspapers
  10. ground — crushed
  11. drill — army training
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. drill — the tool
  14. mug — a cup
  15. track — to keep track
  16. current — electric
  17. ground — a position
  18. press — a publisher
  19. mug — to rob
  20. fork — in a road
  21. press — to push
  22. ground — the earth
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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