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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  4. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. David sat on the ________________.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  17. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. current — electric
  3. rule — to rule out
  4. calf — of the leg
  5. file — a tool
  6. current — of water
  7. file — a document
  8. track — to keep track
  9. bulb — for light
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. swing — to play on
  12. current — happening now
  13. swing — music
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rule — a law
  16. bulb — of a plant
  17. swing — in golf
  18. bark — to shout
  19. file — a line of people
  20. rule — government
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. track — a song
  24. bulb — for light

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