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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. False peace will not ________________.
  3. Don't do anything ________________.
  4. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  5. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. last — to go on
  3. rash — hasty
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. bark — of a tree
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. fine — a penalty
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. last — finally
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fine — high quality
  15. rash — a series
  16. last — final
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. nail — on a finger
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. fine — all right
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. bat — the animal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. bark — to shout

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