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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  6. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. She's very handy with a ________________.
  14. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  15. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  22. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. saw — the tool
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. track — to keep track
  5. saw — past of 'see'
  6. ruler — for measuring
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. band — a music group
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. saw — the tool
  14. board — to get on
  15. board — a committee
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. track — a song
  18. board — a flat piece
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. kick — in football
  21. band — a ring
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. band — a rubber band

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