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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. He works in a ________________ mill.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  11. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. He was locked up in a ________________.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  18. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. club — for dancing
  3. saw — the tool
  4. track — a song
  5. track — a path
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. track — to keep track
  8. field — farmland
  9. object — a thing
  10. field — for sport
  11. object — to protest
  12. cell — in biology
  13. cell — in a prison
  14. hand — help
  15. club — for golf
  16. hand — in cards
  17. mouse — for a computer
  18. field — a subject
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. object — an aim
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. club — a group
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. cell — a phone

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