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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: mouse · track · last · wake · drill · hide · roll · staff

  1. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  12. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. We're on a ________________ here.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. staff — employees
  2. last — finally
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. hide — animal skin
  5. staff — a stick
  6. drill — army training
  7. track — a song
  8. track — a path
  9. roll — a cake
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. mouse — the animal
  12. mouse — for a computer
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. roll — on a roll
  15. drill — a practice
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. last — to go on
  18. staff — employees
  19. wake — a trail
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. roll — a list
  22. track — to keep track
  23. drill — the tool
  24. last — final

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