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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 120 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're almost out of ________________.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. The ________________ took off on time.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. last — final
  3. racket — a loud noise
  4. row — to paddle
  5. plane — an aircraft
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. pop — music
  9. bass — low music
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. last — to go on
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. track — a song
  14. track — a path
  15. pop — to visit
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. bass — the fish
  18. row — a line
  19. last — finally
  20. track — to keep track
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. plane — a tool
  24. trunk — of a tree

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