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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  20. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bat — the animal
  3. land — to come down
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. current — of water
  7. current — electric
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. lean — to rest against
  10. track — a path
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. leaves — to go away
  13. cell — a phone
  14. land — a country
  15. cell — in biology
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. track — a song
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. lean — to bend
  20. land — ground
  21. current — happening now
  22. lean — thin
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. bat — in an idiom

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