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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  11. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  12. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. date — the fruit
  3. squash — the sport
  4. rest — what's left
  5. clip — a video
  6. charge — in control
  7. rest — what's left
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. ground — the earth
  11. rest — a break
  12. rock — music
  13. squash — to crush
  14. ground — crushed
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rock — a stone
  17. ground — a position
  18. date — on the calendar
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. charge — a price
  21. clip — for paper
  22. charge — electricity
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. clip — to cut

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