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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 ________________ went through the wall.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. I can't ________________ this cold.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. track — a path
  3. row — a quarrel
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. wound — an injury
  6. drill — the tool
  7. mark — a trace
  8. stand — to bear
  9. track — a song
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. row — to paddle
  12. perch — the fish
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. row — a line
  15. drill — a practice
  16. stand — on your feet
  17. wound — an injury
  18. mark — a grade
  19. track — to keep track
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. drill — army training
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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