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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. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  2. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  13. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  16. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. This piece is in a major ________________.
  23. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  24. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — crushed
  2. fall — the season
  3. track — a song
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. track — to keep track
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. ground — the earth
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. dip — to dunk
  11. track — a path
  12. fall — to drop
  13. key — the most important part
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. fan — a supporter
  16. lash — to lash out
  17. key — for a lock
  18. lash — a whip stroke
  19. ground — a position
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. key — in music
  23. fall — to drop
  24. dip — to sink

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