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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. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  11. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  19. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  20. She's very handy with a ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — child
  2. track — to keep track
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. track — a song
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. scale — in music
  8. drill — the tool
  9. scale — size or range
  10. lash — an eyelash
  11. bowl — a football final
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. scale — for weighing
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. straw — dry grass
  16. track — a path
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. lash — to lash out
  19. lash — a whip stroke
  20. saw — the tool
  21. saw — the tool
  22. drill — a practice
  23. kid — to tease
  24. drill — army training

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