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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  7. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  10. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  15. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  16. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  21. There's no middle ________________.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. mate — a partner
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. ground — the earth
  5. mate — to breed
  6. deal — an agreement
  7. fall — the season
  8. ground — crushed
  9. craft — boats
  10. craft — a skill
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. scale — for weighing
  15. mate — a friend
  16. fall — to drop
  17. scale — in music
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. scale — size or range
  20. deal — a big deal
  21. ground — a position
  22. deal — to handle
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. fall — to drop

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