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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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  2. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  15. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — a trail
  2. club — for golf
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. field — for sport
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. scale — in music
  11. scale — size or range
  12. club — a group
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. club — for dancing
  15. hide — animal skin
  16. field — farmland
  17. nail — on a finger
  18. field — a subject

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