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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. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. I'll be taking the ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. My mare is ________________ in color.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — music
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. tube — the underground
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. kid — child
  7. rock — a stone
  8. track — a path
  9. pop — to visit
  10. bay — a horse colour
  11. track — to keep track
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. track — a song
  15. rock — music
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. tube — a container
  20. pop — soda
  21. bay — to keep at bay
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. mine — for digging
  24. kid — to tease

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