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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: cell · dip · row · track · date · hide · drill · present

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  3. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  4. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  7. Have you settled on a ________________?
  8. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. drill — the tool
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. row — a line
  5. present — a gift
  6. row — to paddle
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. date — on the calendar
  9. present — the time now
  10. cell — a phone
  11. track — a path
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. hide — to keep secret
  14. drill — a practice
  15. track — a song
  16. present — there
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. row — a quarrel
  20. dip — to sink
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. date — the fruit
  23. drill — army training
  24. cell — in biology

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