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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 party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. You don't need to ________________ round.
  5. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  14. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  15. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — a series
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. pop — to visit
  5. track — to keep track
  6. track — a path
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. pop — music
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. track — a song
  12. lash — a whip stroke
  13. lash — to lash out
  14. lash — an eyelash
  15. dip — a sauce
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. mine — for digging
  18. dip — to sink
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fine — high quality
  22. pop — soda
  23. fine — all right
  24. rash — hasty

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