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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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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: track · saw · bat · roll · tube · hide · court · stick

  1. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. tube — in a tire
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. stick — to attach or keep to
  5. track — a path
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. track — a song
  8. roll — a cake
  9. saw — the tool
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. roll — a list
  12. court — for sport
  13. tube — the underground
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. bat — the animal
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. saw — the tool
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. court — of a king
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. court — of law
  24. tube — a container

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