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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: track · rock · swing · snap · rash · trunk · ball · present

  1. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  10. Don't do anything ________________.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. The King held a masked ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  20. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  21. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  24. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. ball — a great time
  3. swing — to play on
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. track — to keep track
  10. rash — hasty
  11. track — a song
  12. ball — a dance
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. rash — a series
  15. swing — music
  16. rock — music
  17. rock — a stone
  18. present — a gift
  19. snap — to click
  20. track — a path
  21. rash — on the skin
  22. present — there
  23. swing — in golf
  24. present — the time now

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