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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 old man leaned on his ________________.
  2. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  3. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  4. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  7. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. That must've been a ________________.
  11. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  12. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  21. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. staff — a stick
  2. track — a song
  3. wake — to stop sleeping
  4. wake — a trail
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. staff — employees
  7. chest — of your body
  8. shower — rain
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rush — a thrill
  11. rush — hurry
  12. staff — employees
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. track — a path
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. wake — before a funeral
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. chest — of your body
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. chest — a box
  21. rush — to hurry
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bay — to keep at bay
  24. bay — a horse colour

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