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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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  18. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. scale — size or range
  3. track — to keep track
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. scale — in music
  10. current — electric
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. current — of water
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. row — to paddle
  15. row — a line
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. bowl — a football final
  18. band — a music group
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. current — happening now
  22. sharp — clever
  23. track — a path
  24. band — a ring

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