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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  10. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  14. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. ball — a round shape
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. snap — to click
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. wound — an injury
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. wound — past of 'wind'
  10. wound — an injury
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. rock — music
  13. kick — with a leg
  14. rock — a stone
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. kick — in football
  20. ball — a great time
  21. mine — for digging
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cell — a phone
  24. ball — a dance

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