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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.

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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. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  4. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  20. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. wake — a trail
  3. snap — to click
  4. ruler — a monarch
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mate — to breed
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. mate — a friend
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. rest — what's left
  12. mate — a partner
  13. wake — before a funeral
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. snap — to snap out of it
  20. rest — what's left
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. rest — a break
  24. bat — for baseball

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