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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  17. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — part of the head
  3. current — electric
  4. stock — a soup base
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. firm — steady
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. game — wild animals
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. current — happening now
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. track — a song
  14. game — a match
  15. firm — a company
  16. face — to confront
  17. face — to point toward
  18. track — a path
  19. bark — to shout
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. firm — decided
  22. stock — shares
  23. stock — goods
  24. current — of water

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