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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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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  6. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  9. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. Have you settled on a ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. date — on the calendar
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. pop — music
  6. date — the fruit
  7. track — a path
  8. bowl — to roll
  9. bowl — a football final
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. pop — to visit
  12. track — to keep track
  13. bat — the animal
  14. track — a song
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. date — on the calendar

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