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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: track · plane · stock · toast · last · fall · game · trunk

  1. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  2. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. The ________________ market has crashed.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The ________________ took off on time.
  20. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — a drink to someone
  2. track — to keep track
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fall — the season
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. toast — bread
  7. last — to go on
  8. track — a song
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. last — final
  11. toast — the most admired
  12. fall — to drop
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. stock — goods
  15. game — a match
  16. stock — shares
  17. plane — a tool
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. plane — an aircraft
  20. stock — a soup base
  21. last — finally
  22. fall — to drop
  23. game — wild animals
  24. track — a path

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