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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  15. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  16. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. What do you think of the new ________________?
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I don't want to ________________ the boat.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. track — to keep track
  3. rock — music
  4. club — for dancing
  5. club — a group
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. rock — a stone
  8. roll — a cake
  9. club — for golf
  10. cabinet — a cupboard
  11. track — a song
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. track — a path
  15. roll — a list
  16. lash — a whip stroke
  17. kid — child
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. kid — to tease
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. rock — to move gently

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