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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. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  2. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  5. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  13. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  14. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  15. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  16. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  23. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  24. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — the most admired
  2. wave — of the sea
  3. bat — the animal
  4. rest — a break
  5. rest — what's left
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. band — a ring
  8. toast — bread
  9. club — for dancing
  10. bear — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. wave — with your hand
  13. rest — what's left
  14. wave — a sudden rise
  15. band — a music group
  16. bear — the animal
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. club — a group
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. club — for golf
  22. bear — to put up with
  23. toast — a drink to someone
  24. band — a rubber band

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