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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. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  5. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  8. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  16. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  21. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  22. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — animal skin
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. march — the month
  5. row — a line
  6. march — the month
  7. bowl — a football final
  8. pass — a permit
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. track — to keep track
  13. track — a path
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. march — music
  16. pass — to succeed
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. scale — for weighing
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. hide — to keep secret
  21. scale — in music
  22. scale — size or range
  23. row — to paddle
  24. track — a song

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