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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. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  2. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  17. I can't ________________ this cold.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. toast — bread
  2. bear — to put up with
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. wave — of the sea
  5. bear — the animal
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. toast — the most admired
  9. shower — to wash
  10. chest — of your body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. shower — a meteor shower
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. chest — a box
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. wave — a sudden rise
  17. stand — to bear
  18. bat — the animal
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. chest — of your body
  22. shower — rain
  23. bear — the animal
  24. bat — for baseball

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