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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 116 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 girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  18. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  24. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. row — a line
  2. club — a group
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bear — the animal
  6. track — a path
  7. drill — army training
  8. track — a song
  9. bear — to put up with
  10. bear — the animal
  11. rock — a stone
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. last — final
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. last — to go on
  16. track — to keep track
  17. row — to paddle
  18. drill — a practice
  19. last — finally
  20. row — a quarrel
  21. drill — the tool
  22. rock — music
  23. club — for dancing
  24. club — for golf

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