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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. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  14. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  23. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a cake
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. track — to keep track
  4. tube — the underground
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. row — to paddle
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. row — a line
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. tube — in a tire
  14. lash — to lash out
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. track — a path
  17. track — a song
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. ball — a dance
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. roll — a list
  22. lash — a whip stroke
  23. tube — a container
  24. ball — a great time

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