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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. He was locked up in a ________________.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  14. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  17. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  20. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. Where did you ________________ them?

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. cell — in a prison
  3. cell — a phone
  4. mug — a face
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bat — the animal
  7. rock — a stone
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. cell — in biology
  10. face — part of the head
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. face — to confront
  14. face — to point toward
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. row — a line
  17. hide — animal skin
  18. rock — music
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. row — to paddle
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. row — a quarrel
  23. mug — a cup
  24. mug — to rob

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