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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. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  2. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  6. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. That must've been a ________________.
  17. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  20. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rush — to hurry
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. track — to keep track
  4. rush — hurry
  5. bank — for money
  6. bank — for money
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. track — a song
  9. scale — size or range
  10. mug — to rob
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. bank — of a river
  13. present — a gift
  14. mug — a cup
  15. bat — the animal
  16. rush — a thrill
  17. present — there
  18. track — a path
  19. mug — a face
  20. mouse — for a computer
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. present — the time now
  23. scale — in music
  24. bat — for baseball

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