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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  5. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  10. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  11. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  12. This piece is in a major ________________.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  17. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  21. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. current — happening now
  3. fall — to drop
  4. current — electric
  5. cue — a signal
  6. current — of water
  7. race — the arms race
  8. cue — a hint
  9. fall — the season
  10. race — humankind
  11. fall — to drop
  12. key — in music
  13. track — a path
  14. lie — an untruth
  15. key — the most important part
  16. race — a contest
  17. cue — for pool
  18. file — a document
  19. key — for a lock
  20. lie — an untruth
  21. file — a line of people
  22. file — a tool
  23. track — to keep track
  24. lie — to recline

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