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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  5. I've got to change the light ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ market has crashed.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The light ________________ burned out.
  13. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bulb — of a plant
  3. track — a song
  4. ruler — for measuring
  5. bulb — for light
  6. clip — to cut
  7. current — happening now
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. stock — shares
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bulb — for light
  13. ruler — a monarch
  14. stock — goods
  15. fall — to drop
  16. fall — to drop
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. bat — the animal
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. track — a path
  22. fall — the season
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. ruler — for measuring

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