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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  8. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  14. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. present — there
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. face — part of the head
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. spell — magic
  8. drill — the tool
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. present — a gift
  12. spell — a short time
  13. drill — army training
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. mark — a grade
  17. game — a kind of play
  18. spell — letters
  19. face — to point toward
  20. face — to confront
  21. drill — a practice
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. present — the time now
  24. trunk — of a car

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