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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  7. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cell — a phone
  3. current — of water
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. current — electric
  7. clip — a video
  8. fine — all right
  9. ball — a great time
  10. track — to keep track
  11. clip — to cut
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. clip — for paper
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — in biology
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. rush — hurry
  21. current — happening now
  22. track — a path
  23. ball — a dance
  24. fine — high quality

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