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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 116 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 speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  18. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  21. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  22. Don't do anything ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. wake — a trail
  3. rash — a series
  4. straw — to clutch at straws
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. track — a song
  7. staff — a stick
  8. track — to keep track
  9. rash — on the skin
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. plane — a tool
  12. scale — size or range
  13. staff — employees
  14. straw — a straw man
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. plane — in geometry
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. scale — in music
  21. staff — employees
  22. rash — hasty
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. scale — for weighing

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