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

Word bank: bat · arm · trunk · last · bulb · track · roll · fine

  1. False peace will not ________________.
  2. The light ________________ burned out.
  3. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. I've got to change the light ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. My father caught me by the ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. We're on a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. bulb — for light
  3. fine — high quality
  4. track — a path
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fine — a penalty
  8. roll — a list
  9. roll — a cake
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. track — to keep track
  12. bulb — for light
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bulb — of a plant
  15. last — finally
  16. last — final
  17. arm — a part of something
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. track — a song
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. fine — all right
  22. arm — part of the body
  23. bat — the animal
  24. roll — on a roll

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