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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  4. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  10. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. current — happening now
  3. vault — in gymnastics
  4. lean — to rest against
  5. current — of water
  6. vault — an arched ceiling
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. clip — a video
  9. clip — for paper
  10. lean — thin
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. last — final
  13. current — electric
  14. last — to go on
  15. track — a song
  16. track — to keep track
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. last — finally
  19. vault — a safe
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. toast — bread
  22. clip — to cut
  23. lean — to bend
  24. nail — for a hammer

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