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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. bank — for money
  6. march — the month
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. ball — a dance
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. rash — hasty
  11. sharp — clever
  12. ball — a great time
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. march — the month
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. bank — of a river
  21. march — music
  22. bank — for money
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rash — a series

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