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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ went through the wall.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  20. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — to tease
  4. tear — to rip
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. suit — in cards
  7. ball — a dance
  8. nail — for a hammer
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. snap — to click
  11. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  12. ball — a great time
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. suit — to fit
  17. tear — from crying
  18. game — wild animals
  19. tear — from crying
  20. kid — child
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. suit — clothes
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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