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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 polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. wind — to turn a key
  5. staff — employees
  6. sharp — clever
  7. wind — moving air
  8. spell — magic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. wind — moving air
  11. cap — a hat
  12. spell — a short time
  13. staff — employees
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. staff — a stick
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cap — a lid
  18. spell — letters

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