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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. Have you settled on a ________________?
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. roll — a list
  3. track — a path
  4. current — happening now
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. current — electric
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. spring — a coil
  10. spring — the season
  11. date — on the calendar
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. hand — help
  14. track — a song
  15. current — of water
  16. hand — in cards
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. roll — a cake
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. spring — of water
  22. chip — for betting
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. chip — to eat

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