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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  20. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  24. The ________________ went through the wall.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. bat — the animal
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. track — a song
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. nail — on a finger
  8. race — the arms race
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. leaves — of a tree
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. leaves — lets stay
  14. track — to keep track
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. track — a path
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. race — humankind
  20. leaves — to go away
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. race — a contest
  23. racket — for tennis
  24. nail — for a hammer

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