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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. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. This piece is in a major ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  19. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a song
  2. fall — to drop
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. key — in music
  6. rash — hasty
  7. court — for sport
  8. fall — to drop
  9. march — the month
  10. march — the month
  11. court — of law
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. march — music
  15. track — a path
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. key — the most important part
  19. bowl — a dish
  20. track — to keep track
  21. court — of a king
  22. rash — a series
  23. fall — the season
  24. key — for a lock

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