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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. bat — the animal
  3. mark — a grade
  4. rock — to move gently
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. cell — a phone
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. cell — in biology
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. field — farmland
  13. track — a song
  14. track — to keep track
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. field — for sport
  18. rock — music
  19. field — a subject
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rock — a stone
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. track — a path

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