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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. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  13. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  14. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We're almost out of ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. ball — a dance
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. ground — the earth
  6. club — for golf
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. ball — a round shape
  9. track — to keep track
  10. lash — to lash out
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. dip — to dunk
  13. ground — crushed
  14. ball — a great time
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. pop — soda
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. dip — to sink
  19. ground — a position
  20. club — a group
  21. track — a song
  22. club — for dancing
  23. pop — to visit
  24. pop — 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