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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 120 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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  10. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  23. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  24. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. band — a music group
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. sharp — clever
  7. track — a path
  8. bear — the animal
  9. sharp — with an edge
  10. patient — a sick person
  11. track — to keep track
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. fork — in a road
  14. band — a ring
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. patient — a sick person
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fall — the season
  20. fall — to drop
  21. fall — to drop
  22. bear — the animal
  23. band — a rubber band
  24. bear — to put up with

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