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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  2. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  3. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  18. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. current — electric
  2. rest — what's left
  3. clip — a video
  4. track — a path
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. pound — for dogs
  8. snap — to click
  9. track — to keep track
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. current — of water
  13. mine — for digging
  14. current — happening now
  15. rest — what's left
  16. pound — a weight
  17. clip — for paper
  18. snap — to speak sharply
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. rest — a break
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. pop — music
  24. track — a song

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