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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  13. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. track — a song
  4. track — a path
  5. bound — tied together
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. scale — in music
  8. can — to be able to
  9. track — to keep track
  10. can — a tin
  11. bat — the animal
  12. fine — all right
  13. scale — size or range
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. drill — army training
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. bound — obliged
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. fine — high quality
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bound — certain
  22. drill — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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