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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. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  2. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  5. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  16. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  22. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — with your hand
  2. chest — of your body
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. scale — size or range
  5. racket — a loud noise
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. lie — to recline
  8. chest — of your body
  9. lie — an untruth
  10. bass — the fish
  11. bass — the instrument
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mug — to rob
  15. wave — a sudden rise
  16. mug — a cup
  17. bass — low music
  18. scale — in music
  19. wave — of the sea
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. chest — a box
  23. mug — a face
  24. trunk — of a tree

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