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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. You don't need to ________________ round.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — to visit
  2. pop — soda
  3. track — a song
  4. rock — a stone
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. club — a group
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. track — a path
  10. file — a tool
  11. file — a document
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. rock — music
  16. track — to keep track
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. file — a line of people
  19. club — for dancing
  20. pop — music
  21. club — for golf
  22. dip — to sink
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. dip — a sauce

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