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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. Don't do anything ________________.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. This piece is in a major ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  15. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — hasty
  2. file — a tool
  3. track — a song
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. track — to keep track
  6. file — a line of people
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. track — a path
  9. cue — a signal
  10. key — in music
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. toast — bread
  15. rash — on the skin
  16. dip — to sink
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. cue — a hint
  20. key — the most important part
  21. rash — a series
  22. cue — for pool
  23. file — a document
  24. key — for a lock

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