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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  3. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  18. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  23. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. object — a thing
  3. present — the time now
  4. pit — a hole
  5. present — there
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. object — an aim
  8. pit — in a race
  9. pound — a weight
  10. wound — an injury
  11. bat — the animal
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. present — a gift
  18. pound — for dogs
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. wake — a trail
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. wound — an injury
  23. object — to protest
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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