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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  4. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  5. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. That was ________________ to happen.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. I'll be taking the ________________.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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. object — to protest
  4. cue — a signal
  5. object — an aim
  6. current — electric
  7. bound — certain
  8. mine — for digging
  9. mine — belonging to me
  10. clip — to cut
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. object — a thing
  13. clip — a video
  14. current — of water
  15. track — to keep track
  16. clip — for paper
  17. bound — obliged
  18. tube — a container
  19. current — happening now
  20. tube — the underground
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. cue — for pool
  23. cue — a hint
  24. bound — tied together

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