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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  4. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. We're on a ________________ here.
  22. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  23. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. fall — to drop
  3. can — to be able to
  4. land — ground
  5. land — a country
  6. track — to keep track
  7. current — electric
  8. pound — a weight
  9. track — a path
  10. cell — in biology
  11. current — of water
  12. fall — to drop
  13. can — a tin
  14. track — a song
  15. pound — for dogs
  16. roll — a cake
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. land — to come down
  19. fall — the season
  20. can — a tin
  21. roll — on a roll
  22. current — happening now
  23. roll — a list
  24. cell — in a prison

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