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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. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. We're almost out of ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — to stop sleeping
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. rest — what's left
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — a stick
  6. wake — a trail
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. rest — a break
  9. rest — what's left
  10. staff — employees
  11. mark — a grade
  12. squash — to crush
  13. staff — employees
  14. pop — soda
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. squash — the sport
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pop — music
  22. bat — the animal
  23. pop — to visit
  24. squash — the vegetable

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