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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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  10. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  11. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  12. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. bear — to put up with
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chair — a leader
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. bear — the animal
  9. present — there
  10. bear — the animal
  11. wave — a sudden rise
  12. foot — a measure
  13. file — a tool
  14. file — a line of people
  15. foot — part of the body
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. foot — the bottom
  18. file — a document
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. present — the time now
  21. bat — the animal
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. present — a gift
  24. wave — with your hand

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