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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  22. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  23. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. drill — army training
  3. bat — the animal
  4. ball — a dance
  5. snap — to click
  6. saw — the tool
  7. track — a song
  8. safe — a strongbox
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. saw — the tool
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. drill — the tool
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. track — to keep track
  16. track — a path
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. ball — a great time
  22. safe — out of danger
  23. saw — past of 'see'
  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