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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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  3. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  13. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  21. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. dip — to dunk
  3. foot — the bottom
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spring — a coil
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. club — for golf
  8. drill — a practice
  9. drill — the tool
  10. club — for dancing
  11. spring — of water
  12. foot — part of the body
  13. dip — a sauce
  14. cue — a signal
  15. track — a path
  16. cue — a hint
  17. foot — a measure
  18. dip — to sink
  19. track — a song
  20. cue — for pool
  21. spring — the season
  22. club — a group
  23. rock — a stone
  24. drill — army training

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