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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. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  17. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  24. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. file — a line of people
  3. file — a tool
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. current — of water
  6. fall — the season
  7. track — a song
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. track — a path
  10. track — to keep track
  11. current — happening now
  12. file — a document
  13. fall — to drop
  14. current — electric
  15. object — to protest
  16. can — a tin
  17. mark — a trace
  18. object — an aim
  19. mark — a grade
  20. can — to be able to
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. object — a thing
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. can — a tin

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