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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  7. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  8. What do you think of the new ________________?
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. track — a song
  3. last — final
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chip — to eat
  7. drill — a practice
  8. cabinet — ministers
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. track — a path
  13. chip — for betting
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — finally
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. last — to go on
  18. racket — a loud noise
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. drill — the tool
  22. pitch — completely
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. drill — army training

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