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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  19. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. track — to keep track
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. pound — a weight
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. last — final
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. track — a path
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. track — a song
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. rock — music
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. roll — a list
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. last — finally
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. roll — a cake
  19. straw — a straw man
  20. last — to go on
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. straw — to clutch at straws
  24. roll — on a roll

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