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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. ball — a dance
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. band — a ring
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. face — to point toward
  11. race — the arms race
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. fork — in a road
  14. face — part of the head
  15. race — a contest
  16. ball — a great time
  17. track — to keep track
  18. face — to confront
  19. ball — a round shape
  20. race — humankind
  21. fork — to eat with
  22. track — a path
  23. band — a music group
  24. band — a rubber band

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