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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  11. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  23. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  24. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bass — low music
  6. chest — of your body
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. track — a path
  9. fine — high quality
  10. wake — to stop sleeping
  11. safe — out of danger
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. wake — a trail
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. chest — a box
  18. pound — a weight
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. track — to keep track
  21. fine — all right
  22. track — a song
  23. safe — out of danger
  24. bass — the fish

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