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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.

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

Answer key

  1. fine — high quality
  2. pop — soda
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. track — a path
  5. row — to paddle
  6. squash — the sport
  7. pop — music
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. squash — to crush
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. capital — money
  18. row — a line
  19. capital — a city
  20. track — to keep track
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. track — a song
  23. fine — all right
  24. capital — a big letter

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