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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 120 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
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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: trunk · track · ball · hand · scale · cell · file · bay

  1. The King held a masked ________________.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. track — a song
  5. hand — help
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. file — a document
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bay — to keep at bay
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. track — a path
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. file — a tool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. file — a line of people
  17. scale — size or range
  18. scale — in music
  19. track — to keep track
  20. ball — a great time
  21. cell — a phone
  22. cell — in biology
  23. hand — in cards
  24. scale — for weighing

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