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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  19. The light ________________ burned out.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  23. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. track — to keep track
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. prune — to trim
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. prune — to trim
  7. pass — a permit
  8. bat — the animal
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. pass — to spend time
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. prune — the fruit
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. track — a song
  15. ball — a great time
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. ball — a dance
  18. pass — to succeed
  19. bulb — for light
  20. wake — a trail
  21. bulb — for light
  22. bulb — of a plant
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. ball — a round shape

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