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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. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  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. track — a path
  2. snap — to click
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. wound — an injury
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. current — of water
  7. rock — a stone
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. current — electric
  10. squash — the sport
  11. tube — the underground
  12. tube — a container
  13. current — happening now
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. squash — to crush
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. rock — music
  19. scale — size or range
  20. scale — in music
  21. snap — to snap out of it
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. track — to keep track
  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