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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. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  3. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  12. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  13. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  14. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  22. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  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. last — finally
  2. rush — to hurry
  3. bat — the animal
  4. last — to go on
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. plane — a tool
  12. last — final
  13. prune — the fruit
  14. prune — to trim
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. bat — for baseball
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rush — hurry
  22. plane — in geometry
  23. lie — to recline
  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