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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.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: rash · board · bat · coach · saw · nail · file · track

  1. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  5. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. He works in a ________________ mill.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. board — a flat piece
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. saw — past of 'see'
  5. board — a committee
  6. file — a document
  7. rash — hasty
  8. track — to keep track
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. track — a path
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. rash — a series
  14. saw — the tool
  15. file — a line of people
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. saw — the tool
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. file — a tool
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. board — to get on
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. nail — for a hammer

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