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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. When was this ________________ built?
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  17. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. temple — a place of worship
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. season — of the year
  9. temple — a place of worship
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. track — a path
  13. bat — the animal
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — finally
  17. last — final
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. track — to keep track
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. safe — a strongbox
  22. season — in sport
  23. track — a song
  24. safe — out of danger

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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