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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 116 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  9. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  23. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  24. The King held a masked ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bat — the animal
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. current — happening now
  5. current — electric
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. shower — to wash
  9. march — the month
  10. march — music
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. shower — rain
  14. spell — magic
  15. march — the month
  16. shower — a meteor shower
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. fine — high quality
  19. spell — letters
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. fine — all right
  22. spell — a short time
  23. current — of water
  24. ball — a dance

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