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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  3. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. march — music
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. spell — letters
  5. drill — the tool
  6. drill — a practice
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. drill — army training
  9. squash — to crush
  10. track — a path
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spell — magic
  14. squash — the sport
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. jam — to spread on bread
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. spell — a short time
  19. march — the month
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. march — the month
  22. track — a song
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. track — to keep track

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