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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 muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  9. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  22. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. track — to keep track
  5. spring — of water
  6. court — for sport
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. spring — the season
  9. bass — the fish
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. court — of a king
  13. chair — a professorship
  14. rock — a stone
  15. pit — in a race
  16. rock — music
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. chair — a leader
  19. pit — a hole
  20. court — of law
  21. bass — low music
  22. chair — to sit on
  23. track — a song
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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