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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: bowl · bat · track · pop · trunk · date · rock · content

  1. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. We're almost out of ________________.
  8. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  11. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  22. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. track — a song
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. bat — the animal
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pop — soda
  8. track — a path
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — a football final
  11. pop — music
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. content — the amount
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. content — happy
  18. pop — to visit
  19. track — to keep track
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. date — the fruit
  22. rock — to move gently
  23. rock — a stone
  24. rock — music

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