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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  8. The King held a masked ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. track — a song
  4. track — to keep track
  5. staff — employees
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. nail — for a hammer
  8. ball — a dance
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. track — a path
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. staff — a stick
  13. drill — army training
  14. staff — employees
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. ball — a great time
  17. drill — a practice
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. pitch — completely
  24. straw — dry grass

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