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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. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  9. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  10. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  22. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. current — electric
  3. track — a song
  4. ball — a great time
  5. prune — to trim
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. pop — soda
  8. snap — to click
  9. prune — the fruit
  10. current — of water
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. current — happening now
  13. ball — a dance
  14. pop — to visit
  15. ball — a round shape
  16. kick — in football
  17. foot — a measure
  18. snap — to snap out of it
  19. track — to keep track
  20. prune — to trim
  21. kick — a thrill
  22. snap — to speak sharply
  23. pop — music
  24. foot — the bottom

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