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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. He works in a ________________ mill.
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  18. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. track — a path
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. fall — to drop
  5. track — to keep track
  6. mark — to pay attention
  7. mark — a grade
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. track — a song
  10. ball — a dance
  11. wind — moving air
  12. squash — to crush
  13. ball — a great time
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. saw — the tool
  16. fall — to drop
  17. squash — the vegetable
  18. saw — past of 'see'
  19. wind — moving air
  20. saw — the tool
  21. mark — a trace
  22. squash — the sport
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. nail — on a finger

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