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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 116 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.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: firm · trunk · bat · chair · pitcher · rest · game · wound

  1. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  8. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. game — a match
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. firm — decided
  5. bat — the animal
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. game — wild animals
  8. rest — a break
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a leader
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. wound — an injury
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. firm — a company
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bat — in an idiom
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. firm — steady
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. chair — a professorship
  24. bat — for baseball

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