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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. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  4. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  5. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  9. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  19. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  23. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  24. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — a coil
  2. track — to keep track
  3. spring — the season
  4. net — for catching
  5. mark — a grade
  6. current — happening now
  7. track — a song
  8. cap — a hat
  9. pitch — a sports field
  10. net — in sport
  11. cap — of ice
  12. mark — a trace
  13. cap — a lid
  14. pitch — completely
  15. track — a path
  16. net — after costs
  17. bore — to drill
  18. current — electric
  19. bore — gave birth
  20. current — of water
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. spring — of water
  23. bore — to tire
  24. mark — to pay attention

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