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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  9. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  13. I've got to change the light ________________.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  22. The light ________________ burned out.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. track — a path
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cap — of ice
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cap — a lid
  9. mark — a grade
  10. club — a group
  11. cap — a hat
  12. club — for dancing
  13. bulb — for light
  14. court — of a king
  15. club — for golf
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. track — to keep track
  19. court — for sport
  20. mark — a trace
  21. court — of law
  22. bulb — for light
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. bulb — of a plant

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