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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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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: sharp · file · track · pit · straw · coach · rush · mouse

  1. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. It's one o'clock ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. file — a document
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. sharp — exactly
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. rush — to hurry
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. track — a song
  12. rush — hurry
  13. file — a tool
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. file — a line of people
  17. sharp — clever
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. pit — a hole
  20. pit — in a race
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. straw — dry grass
  24. mouse — for a computer

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