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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 120 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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  9. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  18. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. rock — a stone
  3. track — a song
  4. club — for golf
  5. land — to come down
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. club — a group
  9. face — to point toward
  10. rock — music
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. land — ground
  14. face — to confront
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. track — to keep track
  18. face — part of the head
  19. club — for dancing
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. land — a country
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. racket — a loud noise

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