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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  3. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  4. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  12. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. My father caught me by the ________________.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. cell — in biology
  3. arm — a part of something
  4. craft — boats
  5. track — to keep track
  6. scale — size or range
  7. drill — army training
  8. court — of law
  9. track — a path
  10. cell — a phone
  11. drill — a practice
  12. squash — the vegetable
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. squash — the sport
  16. craft — a skill
  17. squash — to crush
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of a king
  20. drill — the tool
  21. scale — in music
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. court — for sport
  24. scale — for weighing

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