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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. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  6. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  15. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. There's no middle ________________.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  24. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. present — there
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. drill — army training
  4. present — a gift
  5. coach — a trainer
  6. drill — a practice
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. chest — of your body
  9. ground — the earth
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chest — of your body
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. chest — a box
  15. bat — the animal
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. ground — crushed
  18. mouse — for a computer
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. ground — a position
  21. drill — the tool
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. present — the time now
  24. mouse — the animal

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