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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. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  7. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  14. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Don't do anything ________________.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. staff — a stick
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. mark — a trace
  7. bat — the animal
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. staff — employees
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. rock — music
  13. pound — to hit hard
  14. mark — a grade
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rash — a series
  17. rash — on the skin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rash — hasty
  20. staff — employees
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. rock — a stone

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