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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. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  2. When are we going to ________________?
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  13. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  14. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  17. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. How do you ________________ your surname?
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — magic
  2. land — to come down
  3. track — a song
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. board — a committee
  7. track — a path
  8. ball — a great time
  9. toast — bread
  10. land — ground
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. land — a country
  13. toast — a drink to someone
  14. board — a flat piece
  15. track — to keep track
  16. fine — high quality
  17. board — to get on
  18. spell — a short time
  19. ball — a dance
  20. fine — all right
  21. toast — the most admired
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. spell — letters
  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