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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. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  2. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. The light ________________ burned out.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  14. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  18. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  19. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  23. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  24. I've got to change the light ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a quarrel
  2. current — of water
  3. wake — a trail
  4. court — of law
  5. row — to paddle
  6. clip — a video
  7. bulb — for light
  8. track — a song
  9. current — happening now
  10. row — a line
  11. court — of a king
  12. track — to keep track
  13. current — electric
  14. clip — to cut
  15. bear — the animal
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. bulb — of a plant
  18. wake — before a funeral
  19. bear — the animal
  20. court — for sport
  21. track — a path
  22. clip — for paper
  23. bear — to put up with
  24. bulb — for light

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