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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 ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. That must've been a ________________.
  14. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  17. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — for baseball
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. wake — a trail
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. shower — to wash
  6. spell — a short time
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. chip — for betting
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. spell — magic
  13. rush — a thrill
  14. ruler — a monarch
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. shower — rain
  17. bat — in an idiom
  18. rush — hurry
  19. chip — to eat
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. bat — the animal
  22. spell — letters
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. ruler — for measuring

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