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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: track · rock · nail · drill · bass · mouse · fine · kid

  1. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  3. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  15. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. fine — all right
  3. drill — the tool
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  6. rock — a stone
  7. track — a song
  8. bass — the fish
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. fine — high quality
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. drill — a practice
  15. drill — army training
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. kid — to tease
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. kid — child
  20. track — to keep track
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mouse — for a computer
  23. bass — low music
  24. track — a path

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