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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  19. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. That must've been a ________________.
  24. The people resisted their cruel ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. chest — a box
  4. mine — for digging
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. object — an aim
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. ruler — for measuring
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. mine — an explosive
  12. object — to protest
  13. bat — the animal
  14. mine — belonging to me
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. chest — of your body
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. object — a thing
  19. ruler — for measuring
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. rush — hurry
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rush — a thrill
  24. ruler — a monarch

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