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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I'll be taking the ________________.
  6. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Fill up this ________________ with water.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — to pay attention
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. ball — a dance
  5. tube — the underground
  6. scale — for weighing
  7. ball — a great time
  8. mark — a trace
  9. scale — in music
  10. mark — a grade
  11. ground — a position
  12. tube — a container
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. track — to keep track
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. track — a song
  18. ground — crushed
  19. scale — size or range
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. track — a path
  22. ground — the earth
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. pitcher — a jug

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