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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  19. Have you met the new head ________________?
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  24. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. track — to keep track
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. row — to paddle
  6. current — happening now
  7. current — of water
  8. track — a path
  9. rule — a law
  10. row — a line
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. rule — government
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. current — electric
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. rule — to rule out
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. mark — a trace
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. racket — for tennis

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