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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. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  8. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  12. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  21. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  22. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ games are popular in Germany.

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

Answer key

  1. spell — a short time
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. spell — magic
  4. bat — the animal
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. chest — of your body
  7. wave — of the sea
  8. mark — a trace
  9. spell — letters
  10. wound — an injury
  11. wound — past of 'wind'
  12. wave — a sudden rise
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. chest — a box
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chest — of your body
  19. mark — a grade
  20. board — a committee
  21. board — to get on
  22. wave — with your hand
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. board — a flat piece

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