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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 keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  3. She's very handy with a ________________.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  24. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. craft — boats
  3. saw — the tool
  4. tube — the underground
  5. wound — an injury
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. cue — a hint
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. saw — the tool
  11. cue — a signal
  12. tube — a container
  13. wound — an injury
  14. track — a path
  15. vault — a safe
  16. cue — for pool
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. wound — past of 'wind'
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. track — a song
  21. craft — a skill
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. tube — in a tire
  24. craft — a handicraft

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