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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  3. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  14. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. band — a music group
  3. lash — an eyelash
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. foot — a measure
  6. drill — a practice
  7. band — a ring
  8. track — a path
  9. foot — part of the body
  10. track — to keep track
  11. row — to paddle
  12. squash — the sport
  13. band — a rubber band
  14. drill — army training
  15. squash — to crush
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. march — music
  19. drill — the tool
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. row — a line
  23. march — the month
  24. march — the month

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