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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 ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  8. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  22. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — a jug
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. track — to keep track
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. track — a song
  6. sharp — clever
  7. cap — of ice
  8. current — happening now
  9. track — a path
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. cap — a hat
  13. pop — to visit
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. pop — music
  16. current — electric
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. pop — soda
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. wake — a trail
  21. cap — a lid
  22. current — of water
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. nail — on a finger

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