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

  1. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  14. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  24. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ball — a dance
  5. land — a country
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. stand — on your feet
  8. ball — a great time
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. land — to come down
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. land — ground
  14. stand — for spectators
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. mouse — for a computer
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. stand — to bear
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. tear — from crying
  21. tear — to rip
  22. chair — a leader
  23. mouse — the animal
  24. tear — from crying

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