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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. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  11. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  19. The ________________ market has crashed.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. face — to point toward
  3. charge — electricity
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. stock — a soup base
  6. track — a path
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. track — a song
  9. face — to confront
  10. perch — for a bird
  11. date — the fruit
  12. hand — help
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. perch — the fish
  16. charge — in control
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. stock — goods
  19. stock — shares
  20. charge — a price
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. face — part of the head
  23. hand — in cards
  24. date — on the calendar

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