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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. She's very handy with a ________________.
  2. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  9. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  12. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  13. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  18. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  19. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  20. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  21. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  22. He works in a ________________ mill.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. can — to be able to
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. ball — a great time
  10. cell — a phone
  11. track — to keep track
  12. track — a song
  13. track — a path
  14. bat — the animal
  15. cell — in biology
  16. ball — a dance
  17. saw — past of 'see'
  18. can — a tin
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. safe — a strongbox
  21. can — a tin
  22. saw — the tool
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. trunk — of a car

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