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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  3. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  4. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  5. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  6. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  7. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  8. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. When was this ________________ built?
  12. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  22. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. hand — help
  3. board — a flat piece
  4. net — in sport
  5. bore — gave birth
  6. board — to get on
  7. board — a committee
  8. row — a quarrel
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. scale — in music
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. bore — to drill
  13. hand — in cards
  14. row — to paddle
  15. net — after costs
  16. track — a song
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. row — a line
  20. net — for catching
  21. bore — to tire
  22. temple — a place of worship
  23. track — to keep track
  24. temple — side of the head

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