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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. The ________________ went through the wall.
  8. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. scale — in music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. date — the fruit
  9. dip — to sink
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. track — a path
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. bay — to keep at bay
  18. track — a song
  19. bat — the animal
  20. scale — size or range
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. bay — a horse colour

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