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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 broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  5. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  6. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  7. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  14. How do you ________________ your surname?
  15. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. track — a path
  3. scale — size or range
  4. sharp — clever
  5. hide — animal skin
  6. track — to keep track
  7. bear — the animal
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. land — ground
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. spell — letters
  15. spell — magic
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. bear — the animal
  19. spell — a short time
  20. scale — in music
  21. land — a country
  22. land — to come down
  23. track — a song
  24. hide — to keep secret

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