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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. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  8. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  9. The light ________________ burned out.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — for digging
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. mark — a grade
  4. chest — of your body
  5. object — a thing
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. current — happening now
  8. bulb — of a plant
  9. bulb — for light
  10. bulb — for light
  11. current — of water
  12. object — an aim
  13. chest — of your body
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. chest — a box
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. face — to confront
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. object — to protest
  21. face — to point toward
  22. face — part of the head
  23. current — electric
  24. mark — a trace

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