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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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  2. We're on a ________________ here.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. This piece is in a major ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. That was ________________ to happen.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  15. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  22. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a grade
  2. roll — on a roll
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. roll — a list
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. key — in music
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. bound — certain
  9. bat — the animal
  10. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. bound — tied together
  15. key — the most important part
  16. shower — rain
  17. bound — obliged
  18. key — for a lock
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. shower — to wash
  21. kid — to tease
  22. mark — a trace
  23. kid — child
  24. roll — a cake

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