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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. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  12. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  20. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — a lid
  2. rest — a break
  3. ground — a position
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. rest — what's left
  6. rest — what's left
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. cap — of ice
  9. ground — crushed
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bore — gave birth
  12. stick — to attach or keep to
  13. bat — the animal
  14. chest — of your body
  15. chest — a box
  16. bore — to drill
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. cap — a hat
  20. bore — to tire
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ground — the earth
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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