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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: drill · bat · track · mouse · bay · game · wind · mug

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. Where did you ________________ them?
  20. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. track — a path
  3. mouse — for a computer
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. track — to keep track
  6. drill — army training
  7. game — a match
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. wind — moving air
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. track — a song
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. wind — moving air
  14. mug — a face
  15. mouse — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. mug — a cup
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. mug — to rob
  20. bay — a part of the sea
  21. bat — the animal
  22. drill — a practice
  23. drill — the tool
  24. bay — to keep at bay

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