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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ went through the wall.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. I've got to change the light ________________.
  17. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The light ________________ burned out.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. pound — to hit hard
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. pound — a weight
  7. bat — the animal
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. wound — an injury
  10. cue — a hint
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. bass — low music
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. track — to keep track
  16. bulb — for light
  17. wound — past of 'wind'
  18. track — a song
  19. bass — the fish
  20. wound — an injury
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. cue — a signal
  23. cue — for pool
  24. bulb — for light

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