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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. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  18. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. object — an aim
  3. clip — for paper
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. game — wild animals
  6. object — a thing
  7. craft — boats
  8. track — a path
  9. wake — a trail
  10. craft — a skill
  11. track — to keep track
  12. clip — to cut
  13. wake — to stop sleeping
  14. game — a match
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. object — to protest
  17. craft — a handicraft
  18. current — happening now
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. current — of water
  21. clip — a video
  22. track — a song
  23. current — electric
  24. game — a kind of play

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