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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 120 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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  3. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. She's very handy with a ________________.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  18. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  19. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bat — the animal
  3. firm — a company
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. saw — the tool
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. firm — steady
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. firm — decided
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. hand — help
  15. hand — in cards
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hide — to keep secret
  18. mine — an explosive
  19. deal — to handle
  20. mine — for digging
  21. saw — the tool
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. deal — a big deal

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