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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  7. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  14. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He was locked up in a ________________.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mark — a grade
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. cell — in biology
  7. stem — a stem cell
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. track — a path
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. stem — to come from
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. firm — steady
  14. stem — of a plant
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cell — in a prison
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — the animal
  20. firm — decided
  21. cell — a phone
  22. track — a song
  23. firm — a company
  24. track — to keep track

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