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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 116 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. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  9. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  13. The King held a masked ________________.
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. track — a path
  2. bass — the instrument
  3. track — to keep track
  4. content — happy
  5. band — a music group
  6. track — a song
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. content — the amount
  9. club — for golf
  10. club — a group
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. band — a rubber band
  13. ball — a dance
  14. bass — low music
  15. band — a ring
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. ball — a great time
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. club — for dancing
  22. dip — to sink
  23. bass — the fish
  24. trunk — of a car

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