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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  11. False peace will not ________________.
  12. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  13. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  20. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  21. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  22. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bat — the animal
  5. chip — for betting
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. swing — in golf
  9. firm — steady
  10. wave — a sudden rise
  11. last — to go on
  12. chip — to eat
  13. lie — to recline
  14. swing — music
  15. firm — a company
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. last — final
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. chip — in a computer
  20. firm — decided
  21. last — finally
  22. lie — an untruth
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. wave — of the sea

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