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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 124 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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  4. The light ________________ burned out.
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. I've got to change the light ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  13. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. last — to go on
  3. ground — the earth
  4. bulb — for light
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. pop — to visit
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. bulb — for light
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. ground — crushed
  12. bowl — a dish
  13. bat — in an idiom
  14. track — a path
  15. ground — a position
  16. pop — music
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. last — finally
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. last — final
  21. racket — a loud noise
  22. bat — the animal
  23. track — a song
  24. pop — soda

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