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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  4. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  8. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  14. This piece is in a major ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. key — the most important part
  4. drill — army training
  5. drill — a practice
  6. bat — the animal
  7. drill — the tool
  8. key — for a lock
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. track — a path
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. mouse — the animal
  14. key — in music
  15. track — to keep track
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. bat — for baseball

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