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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  4. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — for a hammer
  2. mate — to breed
  3. bay — a part of the sea
  4. mate — a friend
  5. track — a path
  6. track — a song
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. nail — on a finger
  9. scale — size or range
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. kid — to tease
  12. ball — a dance
  13. ball — a great time
  14. rock — a stone
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. kid — child
  17. track — to keep track
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. rock — music
  20. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. scale — for weighing
  23. mate — a partner
  24. scale — in 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