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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. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  4. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  5. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  6. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  7. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. I'd like to play a game of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. stick — a piece of wood
  4. squash — to crush
  5. prune — to trim
  6. patient — a sick person
  7. prune — to trim
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. chair — a leader
  12. last — finally
  13. patient — calm and waiting
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. last — to go on
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. last — final
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. squash — the sport

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