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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  3. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  4. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  5. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  6. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  7. There's no middle ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. He works in a ________________ mill.
  11. She's very handy with a ________________.
  12. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  13. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  22. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ground — the earth
  3. tear — to rip
  4. degree — temperature
  5. cell — in biology
  6. tear — from crying
  7. ground — a position
  8. cue — a hint
  9. cell — a phone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. saw — the tool
  12. tear — from crying
  13. mark — to pay attention
  14. cue — for pool
  15. degree — an amount
  16. cue — a signal
  17. mark — a grade
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. mark — a trace
  21. saw — past of 'see'
  22. degree — from a university
  23. ground — crushed
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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