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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. He is an ace ________________.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  17. The ________________ market has crashed.
  18. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. rock — a stone
  4. band — a music group
  5. drill — a practice
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a trace
  8. drill — army training
  9. drill — the tool
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. mark — a grade
  12. band — a ring
  13. track — to keep track
  14. pitcher — in baseball
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. stock — shares
  18. stock — a soup base
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. track — a song
  21. kick — in football
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. stock — goods
  24. rock — music

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