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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  5. The King held a masked ________________.
  6. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  7. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  23. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. ball — a great time
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. lash — a whip stroke
  5. ball — a dance
  6. nail — on a finger
  7. content — the amount
  8. lash — to lash out
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. stand — to bear
  14. track — a path
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. track — a song
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. content — happy
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. wake — a trail
  22. content — videos and posts
  23. track — to keep track
  24. nail — for a hammer

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