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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  11. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. It's one o'clock ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — a song
  3. sharp — clever
  4. file — a document
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. file — a tool
  7. staff — a stick
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. shower — rain
  11. mouse — for a computer
  12. shower — to wash
  13. file — a line of people
  14. staff — employees
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. staff — employees
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. bat — the animal
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. track — to keep track
  23. sharp — exactly
  24. sharp — with an edge

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