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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. club — for dancing
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kid — child
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. wax — in the ear
  9. track — to keep track
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. kid — to tease
  12. wax — to grow
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. track — a path
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. track — a song
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. club — a group
  21. club — for golf
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. lie — to recline
  24. kid — young goat (kid gloves)

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