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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  3. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. The tickets are free of ________________.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  15. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  20. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. charge — electricity
  3. pound — a weight
  4. drill — army training
  5. ball — a dance
  6. wind — moving air
  7. charge — in control
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. charge — a price
  11. ball — a great time
  12. current — of water
  13. drill — a practice
  14. wind — moving air
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. drill — the tool
  17. track — a song
  18. current — electric
  19. pound — to hit hard
  20. pound — for dogs
  21. track — to keep track
  22. lie — to recline
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. current — happening now

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