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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. How do you ________________ your surname?
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. swing — in golf
  3. spell — letters
  4. snap — to click
  5. last — final
  6. present — there
  7. jam — to spread on bread
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. swing — music
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. spell — a short time
  12. chest — of your body
  13. swing — to play on
  14. chest — a box
  15. last — finally
  16. present — the time now
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. last — to go on
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. present — a gift
  22. spell — magic
  23. snap — to speak sharply
  24. chest — of your body

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