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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 120 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. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  11. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. deal — an agreement
  3. drill — the tool
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. drill — army training
  6. bat — the animal
  7. fork — a garden tool
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a handicraft
  11. wake — before a funeral
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. track — to keep track
  15. craft — a skill
  16. wake — a trail
  17. track — a song
  18. fork — to eat with
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. fork — in a road
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. deal — to handle
  23. pitch — completely
  24. bat — in an idiom

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