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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. Have you met the new head ________________?
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. The water is too ________________.
  24. I'll be taking the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. track — to keep track
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. bound — certain
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. pitch — completely
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pitch — a sports field
  9. club — for golf
  10. track — a song
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. cold — the Cold War
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. bound — tied together
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. tube — a container
  17. club — a group
  18. club — for dancing
  19. bound — obliged
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cold — an illness
  22. track — a path
  23. cold — not warm
  24. tube — the underground

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