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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: ball · bear · track · object · land · bat · rush · swing

  1. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  3. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. That must've been a ________________.
  6. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  9. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  14. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  15. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. When are we going to ________________?
  19. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  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. object — to protest
  2. object — an aim
  3. ball — a round shape
  4. swing — to play on
  5. rush — a thrill
  6. object — a thing
  7. bat — the animal
  8. rush — hurry
  9. land — a country
  10. ball — a great time
  11. bear — the animal
  12. swing — music
  13. swing — in golf
  14. land — ground
  15. bear — the animal
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. land — to come down
  19. track — a song
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. ball — a dance
  22. track — to keep track
  23. bat — in an idiom
  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