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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 120 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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  6. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  17. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  18. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — music
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. hand — in cards
  6. clip — to cut
  7. track — to keep track
  8. track — a path
  9. club — for dancing
  10. current — electric
  11. club — a group
  12. rock — a stone
  13. clip — for paper
  14. wax — to grow
  15. track — a song
  16. current — happening now
  17. wax — in the ear
  18. clip — a video
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. club — for golf
  22. wax — for sculpting
  23. current — of water
  24. hand — help

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