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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. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  16. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. current — of water
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. track — to keep track
  5. file — a line of people
  6. rush — hurry
  7. track — a song
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. current — electric
  10. rush — to hurry
  11. file — a document
  12. track — a path
  13. key — the most important part
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. key — for a lock
  16. bark — a dog's sound
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. bark — to shout
  19. file — a tool
  20. current — happening now
  21. key — in music
  22. racket — a loud noise
  23. mark — a trace
  24. mark — a grade

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