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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  6. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  9. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. straw — dry grass
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. tube — a container
  6. temple — side of the head
  7. track — to keep track
  8. temple — a place of worship
  9. cue — for pool
  10. wound — an injury
  11. tube — the underground
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. wound — an injury
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. cue — a hint
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. cue — a signal
  22. track — a song
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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