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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. He is an ace ________________.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. track — a path
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. fine — a penalty
  5. fine — high quality
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. drill — a practice
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. pitcher — in baseball
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. fine — all right
  15. track — a song
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. track — to keep track
  19. drill — army training
  20. bowl — a dish
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. ball — a great time
  23. drill — the tool
  24. nail — for a hammer

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