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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  9. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  12. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. This piece is in a major ________________.
  22. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  23. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  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. nail — on a finger
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. key — for a lock
  4. bat — the animal
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. present — there
  8. track — a song
  9. face — to confront
  10. track — to keep track
  11. face — part of the head
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. face — to point toward
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. track — a path
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. present — the time now
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. present — a gift
  21. key — in music
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. key — the most important part
  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