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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 reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  2. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The tickets are free of ________________.
  9. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  13. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  14. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. bound — tied together
  2. bowl — to roll
  3. current — of water
  4. clip — for paper
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bound — obliged
  8. charge — a price
  9. clip — to cut
  10. bound — certain
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. current — electric
  13. charge — in control
  14. clip — a video
  15. track — a song
  16. stem — of a plant
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. charge — electricity
  19. stem — to come from
  20. track — a path
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. bowl — a dish
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. current — happening now

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