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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  16. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  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 — to keep track
  2. band — a rubber band
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. pop — to visit
  5. track — a song
  6. bass — the fish
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. kick — in football
  9. drill — army training
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. track — a path
  12. pop — soda
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. pop — music
  16. drill — the tool
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. mine — for digging
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. drill — a practice
  21. bass — low music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. band — a music group
  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