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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  8. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — to move gently
  2. game — wild animals
  3. rock — a stone
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. spell — a short time
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fall — to drop
  8. game — a kind of play
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. spell — magic
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. staff — a stick
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. staff — employees
  16. rock — music
  17. staff — employees
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. game — a match
  20. fall — the season
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. spell — letters
  23. fall — to drop
  24. date — the fruit

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