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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. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. That must've been a ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  8. The ________________ market has crashed.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  15. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — the earth
  4. rush — a thrill
  5. track — to keep track
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. rush — to hurry
  8. stock — shares
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. rush — hurry
  11. club — for dancing
  12. ground — crushed
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. nail — on a finger
  15. mouse — for a computer
  16. club — for golf
  17. court — for sport
  18. court — of law
  19. track — a song
  20. ground — a position
  21. stock — goods
  22. court — of a king
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. club — a group

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