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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. She's very handy with a ________________.
  5. The ________________ market has crashed.
  6. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  12. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  15. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  22. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. saw — the tool
  5. stock — shares
  6. scale — size or range
  7. bass — the fish
  8. drill — a practice
  9. track — a path
  10. saw — the tool
  11. bore — to drill
  12. stock — a soup base
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bore — to tire
  15. saw — past of 'see'
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. track — a song
  19. drill — the tool
  20. bass — low music
  21. bass — the instrument
  22. stock — goods
  23. scale — in music
  24. drill — army training

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