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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  3. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  11. Where did you ________________ them?
  12. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  17. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tear — from crying
  3. rush — hurry
  4. track — a song
  5. band — a rubber band
  6. tear — from crying
  7. kid — child
  8. kid — to tease
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. band — a ring
  11. mug — to rob
  12. bowl — a football final
  13. mug — a cup
  14. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. tear — to rip
  17. key — the most important part
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. track — a path
  20. band — a music group
  21. mug — a face
  22. key — in music
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. key — for a lock

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