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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. The ________________ went through the wall.
  7. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rock — a stone
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. can — a tin
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. ground — crushed
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. pop — soda
  11. ground — the earth
  12. season — of the year
  13. can — a tin
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. ground — a position
  16. file — a line of people
  17. rock — music
  18. pop — music
  19. can — to be able to
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. file — a tool
  22. season — in sport
  23. file — a document
  24. pop — to visit

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