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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  4. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  5. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  11. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  12. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  13. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  17. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Don't do anything ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  24. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. rock — music
  4. wound — past of 'wind'
  5. rash — a series
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. sharp — clever
  8. rash — on the skin
  9. track — to keep track
  10. track — a path
  11. rock — a stone
  12. mark — a grade
  13. vault — in gymnastics
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. vault — a safe
  17. track — a song
  18. wound — an injury
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. rash — hasty
  22. wound — an injury
  23. mark — a trace
  24. vault — an arched ceiling

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