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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  5. How do you ________________ your surname?
  6. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stand — to bear
  4. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  5. spell — letters
  6. kid — child
  7. mark — a grade
  8. bat — the animal
  9. stand — on your feet
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. spell — a short time
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. spell — magic
  14. kid — to tease
  15. net — in sport
  16. race — the arms race
  17. net — for catching
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. race — humankind
  22. race — a contest
  23. net — after costs
  24. stand — for spectators

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