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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. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  2. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  7. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  8. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  23. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  24. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.

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

Answer key

  1. stand — for spectators
  2. straw — dry grass
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bore — gave birth
  5. prune — to trim
  6. bat — the animal
  7. bore — to drill
  8. bore — to tire
  9. rash — a series
  10. content — happy
  11. straw — a straw man
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. stand — to bear
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. content — the amount
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. prune — to trim
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. stand — on your feet
  23. prune — the fruit
  24. bat — in an idiom

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