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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  4. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  9. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. You don't need to ________________ round.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. track — to keep track
  3. scale — for weighing
  4. spell — magic
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. wake — before a funeral
  9. mouse — for a computer
  10. scale — in music
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. pop — to visit
  14. track — a song
  15. scale — size or range
  16. track — a path
  17. wake — a trail
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. sharp — clever
  20. pop — music
  21. spell — a short time
  22. spell — letters
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. nail — on a finger

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