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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. That must've been a ________________.
  3. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  10. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. The water is too ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  24. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rush — a thrill
  3. craft — a handicraft
  4. track — to keep track
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. rush — hurry
  7. cue — for pool
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. cue — a hint
  10. ball — a round shape
  11. ball — a dance
  12. rash — a series
  13. track — a song
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. cue — a signal
  16. rash — hasty
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. cold — not warm
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. ball — a great time
  22. cold — an illness
  23. craft — a skill
  24. craft — boats

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