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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. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  6. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  7. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  8. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mug — to rob
  3. fine — all right
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mug — a face
  6. chest — of your body
  7. chest — a box
  8. fine — high quality
  9. last — finally
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. drill — army training
  12. ball — a great time
  13. mug — a cup
  14. last — final
  15. last — to go on
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. ball — a dance
  18. ruler — for measuring
  19. drill — a practice
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. chest — of your body
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. drill — the tool

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