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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. Have you found your soul ________________?
  16. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  17. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. fork — in a road
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. track — a song
  5. mate — to breed
  6. track — a path
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. band — a rubber band
  10. band — a ring
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. squash — to crush
  14. squash — the sport
  15. mate — a partner
  16. band — a music group
  17. lash — an eyelash
  18. drill — the tool
  19. lash — to lash out
  20. drill — army training
  21. mate — a friend
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. drill — a practice
  24. ball — a round shape

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