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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. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  17. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. present — a gift
  2. pop — to visit
  3. pop — music
  4. drill — a practice
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. cell — a phone
  8. track — to keep track
  9. drill — the tool
  10. cell — in biology
  11. present — the time now
  12. pop — soda
  13. tube — the underground
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. track — a path
  17. drill — army training
  18. tube — a container
  19. present — there
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. track — a song
  23. rock — music
  24. rock — a stone

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