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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. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  4. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  5. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  6. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  11. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  12. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. The ________________ went through the wall.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.

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

Answer key

  1. fan — a supporter
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wind — moving air
  4. staff — employees
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. fork — a garden tool
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. wind — to turn a key
  9. scale — size or range
  10. fan — a supporter
  11. ruler — a monarch
  12. fan — to cool the air
  13. wind — moving air
  14. nail — for a hammer
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. staff — a stick
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. scale — in music
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. staff — employees
  24. fork — in a road

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