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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  13. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  21. The light ________________ burned out.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The King held a masked ________________.
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. board — a committee
  5. track — to keep track
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. board — to get on
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. cold — an illness
  10. track — a song
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. board — a flat piece
  13. cold — the Cold War
  14. ball — a great time
  15. kick — in football
  16. key — the most important part
  17. cold — not warm
  18. bulb — of a plant
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ball — a round shape
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — for light
  23. ball — a dance
  24. key — in music

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