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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. That must've been a ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  7. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  11. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  23. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  24. Take your time. There's no ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. current — of water
  3. rush — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. drill — the tool
  6. capital — money
  7. deal — to handle
  8. track — a path
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. kid — child
  11. capital — a city
  12. kid — to tease
  13. current — electric
  14. drill — a practice
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. roll — a list
  17. drill — army training
  18. current — happening now
  19. track — a song
  20. capital — a big letter
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. roll — a cake
  23. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  24. rush — hurry

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