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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  16. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. I'll be taking the ________________.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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. net — for catching
  4. current — electric
  5. march — the month
  6. track — to keep track
  7. tube — a container
  8. scale — in music
  9. net — in sport
  10. scale — for weighing
  11. scale — size or range
  12. game — wild animals
  13. march — music
  14. current — happening now
  15. tube — in a tire
  16. squash — the sport
  17. squash — to crush
  18. game — a match
  19. net — after costs
  20. march — the month
  21. tube — the underground
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. current — of water
  24. game — a kind of play

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