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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. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  2. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  6. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  7. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  11. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. track — to keep track
  2. bowl — a dish
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. bowl — to roll
  6. track — a song
  7. wind — to turn a key
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. chip — for betting
  10. shower — a meteor shower
  11. pound — a weight
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. wind — moving air
  16. shower — rain
  17. wind — moving air
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. track — a path
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. chip — to eat

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