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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  7. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. I'll be taking the ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. track — a song
  3. tube — in a tire
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. fall — the season
  6. tube — a container
  7. row — a line
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. sharp — clever
  10. court — for sport
  11. fall — to drop
  12. tube — the underground
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. current — happening now
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. track — to keep track
  17. row — to paddle
  18. current — electric
  19. court — of a king
  20. fall — to drop
  21. court — of law
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. current — of water
  24. track — a path

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