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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 120 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 had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  9. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  10. The ________________ took off on time.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  20. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  21. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  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. drill — a practice
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. track — a song
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. wake — a trail
  8. wake — to stop sleeping
  9. stick — a piece of wood
  10. plane — an aircraft
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. track — to keep track
  14. track — a path
  15. stick — to attach or keep to
  16. dip — to sink
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. rash — hasty
  19. plane — a tool
  20. bay — to keep at bay
  21. plane — in geometry
  22. rash — a series
  23. drill — the tool
  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