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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. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.

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

Answer key

  1. mouse — for a computer
  2. drill — army training
  3. fine — high quality
  4. track — a song
  5. rock — music
  6. drill — the tool
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. mouse — the animal
  9. drill — a practice
  10. row — to paddle
  11. track — to keep track
  12. kid — child
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. rock — a stone
  15. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  16. sharp — clever
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. track — a path
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. fine — all right
  21. kid — to tease
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. row — a line

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