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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  3. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  4. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  5. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  6. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  15. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. That was ________________ to happen.
  22. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. bound — obliged
  4. bound — tied together
  5. nail — on a finger
  6. root — of a word
  7. file — a document
  8. row — a line
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. root — the cause
  12. track — a path
  13. file — a tool
  14. racket — for tennis
  15. row — a quarrel
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. track — to keep track
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. root — of a plant
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. bound — certain
  22. row — to paddle
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. file — a line of people

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