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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  16. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  17. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  22. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  23. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. track — a song
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. vault — a safe
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. sharp — with an edge
  8. tube — the underground
  9. wound — an injury
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. sharp — clever
  13. track — a path
  14. pound — a weight
  15. tube — a container
  16. mate — to breed
  17. tube — in a tire
  18. mate — a friend
  19. wound — past of 'wind'
  20. mate — a partner
  21. pound — for dogs
  22. wound — an injury
  23. vault — in gymnastics
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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