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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  7. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  10. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. Have you found your soul ________________?
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. file — a document
  3. track — to keep track
  4. file — a line of people
  5. track — a path
  6. squash — the vegetable
  7. roll — a cake
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. can — to be able to
  10. roll — a list
  11. mate — a friend
  12. drill — the tool
  13. mate — a partner
  14. squash — to crush
  15. can — a tin
  16. track — a song
  17. squash — the sport
  18. mate — to breed
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. drill — army training
  21. file — a tool
  22. can — a tin
  23. drill — a practice
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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