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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.

Make a worksheet

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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. My father caught me by the ________________.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  11. He works in a ________________ mill.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. wake — to stop sleeping
  3. chest — of your body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. arm — part of the body
  6. chest — of your body
  7. mug — a face
  8. saw — past of 'see'
  9. chest — a box
  10. wake — before a funeral
  11. saw — the tool
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mug — a cup
  15. saw — the tool
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. wake — a trail
  18. mug — to rob
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. game — wild animals
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. mouse — the animal

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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