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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. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  3. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  11. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  15. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  16. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  17. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  18. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  19. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. nail — for a hammer
  3. bass — the instrument
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — low music
  6. object — to protest
  7. track — a song
  8. object — a thing
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. nail — on a finger
  11. sharp — with an edge
  12. march — music
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. snap — to speak sharply
  15. snap — to click
  16. march — the month
  17. snap — to snap out of it
  18. hide — animal skin
  19. march — the month
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. object — an aim
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bass — the fish
  24. hide — to keep secret

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