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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. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. We're on a ________________ here.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  6. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. The ________________ went through the wall.
  12. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  16. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  23. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  24. This piece is in a major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. chest — of your body
  3. roll — on a roll
  4. ball — a dance
  5. rash — on the skin
  6. roll — a cake
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. roll — a list
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. chest — a box
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. rash — hasty
  15. nail — on a finger
  16. fan — to cool the air
  17. chest — of your body
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. key — the most important part
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. rash — a series
  23. key — for a lock
  24. key — in music

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