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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 124 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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. He works in a ________________ mill.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  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. object — a thing
  2. current — of water
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. bark — to shout
  5. track — to keep track
  6. staff — a stick
  7. current — electric
  8. bark — a dog's sound
  9. saw — the tool
  10. pitch — completely
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. saw — the tool
  13. current — happening now
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. game — wild animals
  16. staff — employees
  17. object — an aim
  18. track — a path
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. staff — employees
  22. game — a match
  23. object — to protest
  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