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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. We're almost out of ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  7. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  11. The ________________ market has crashed.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. pop — soda
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. track — a song
  4. last — final
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. stock — goods
  7. stock — a soup base
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. last — finally
  10. kick — in football
  11. stock — shares
  12. track — to keep track
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. last — to go on
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. pop — to visit
  18. track — a path
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pop — music
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. kick — with a leg

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