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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 116 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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Don't do anything ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. track — a path
  4. track — a song
  5. fork — to eat with
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. rash — a series
  8. scale — in music
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. rash — hasty
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. track — to keep track
  15. fork — in a road
  16. safe — a strongbox
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. scale — size or range

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