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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 120 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. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  7. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  18. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  21. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  22. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — to drop
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. fall — the season
  6. dip — a sauce
  7. stick — to attach or keep to
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. pound — a weight
  10. game — wild animals
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. dip — to sink
  14. game — a match
  15. fall — to drop
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. bat — the animal
  18. clip — for paper
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. clip — a video
  21. bat — in an idiom
  22. clip — to cut
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pound — to hit hard

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