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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. The ________________ market has crashed.
  3. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  4. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. You don't need to ________________ round.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  20. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  21. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  22. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. stock — shares
  3. stock — a soup base
  4. wave — with your hand
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. track — a path
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pop — music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pop — to visit
  12. pop — soda
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. vault — an arched ceiling
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rash — hasty
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. track — to keep track
  19. wave — a sudden rise
  20. rash — a series
  21. stock — goods
  22. vault — in gymnastics
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. vault — a safe

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