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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 124 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. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. When was this ________________ built?
  13. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  14. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. We're almost out of ________________.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  24. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. cabinet — a cupboard
  4. track — a path
  5. roll — a list
  6. track — a song
  7. pop — to visit
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. temple — side of the head
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. temple — a place of worship
  13. current — of water
  14. current — electric
  15. chest — of your body
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. track — to keep track
  18. pop — soda
  19. chest — a box
  20. roll — a cake
  21. wake — a trail
  22. pop — music
  23. chest — of your body
  24. cabinet — ministers

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