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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  8. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. straw — a straw man
  3. drill — army training
  4. row — a quarrel
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. track — a song
  7. mouse — the animal
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. track — to keep track
  11. wake — a trail
  12. mark — a grade
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. row — to paddle
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. drill — a practice
  18. row — a line
  19. drill — the tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. track — a path
  22. mark — a trace
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. wake — to stop sleeping

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