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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  24. Should I buy a wireless ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. ball — a great time
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. track — to keep track
  5. wound — an injury
  6. saw — the tool
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. track — a path
  10. wound — an injury
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. saw — past of 'see'
  13. track — a song
  14. rash — hasty
  15. rash — a series
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. ball — a dance
  20. wound — past of 'wind'
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. saw — the tool
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. mouse — for a computer

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