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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. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  8. When was this ________________ built?
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — the tool
  2. track — to keep track
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. last — final
  5. last — finally
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. root — of a word
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. track — a path
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. root — the cause
  12. last — to go on
  13. rush — hurry
  14. drill — a practice
  15. bass — the fish
  16. root — of a plant
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bass — low music
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. drill — army training
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. rush — to hurry
  24. track — a song

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