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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 120 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 ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  2. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  9. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  16. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  20. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  21. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  22. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  23. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  24. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — the animal
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. lie — to recline
  4. spell — a short time
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. object — to protest
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. object — a thing
  9. spell — magic
  10. suit — to fit
  11. file — a tool
  12. lie — an untruth
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. snap — to click
  15. snap — to speak sharply
  16. suit — in cards
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. spell — letters
  19. file — a document
  20. snap — to snap out of it
  21. bat — for baseball
  22. file — a line of people
  23. suit — clothes
  24. object — an aim

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