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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 haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  14. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  15. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  16. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. field — a subject
  5. pop — to visit
  6. pop — soda
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. file — a document
  10. pop — music
  11. rest — what's left
  12. field — farmland
  13. file — a line of people
  14. craft — a handicraft
  15. field — for sport
  16. pound — to hit hard
  17. file — a tool
  18. rest — what's left
  19. craft — boats
  20. pound — a weight
  21. craft — a skill
  22. rest — a break
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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