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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. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  20. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — a loud noise
  2. suit — to fit
  3. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. mate — a friend
  8. hide — animal skin
  9. suit — in cards
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pound — for dogs
  12. charge — a price
  13. cold — an illness
  14. pound — a weight
  15. mate — to breed
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. charge — electricity
  18. mate — a partner
  19. hide — to keep secret
  20. pound — to hit hard
  21. cold — not warm
  22. charge — in control
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. cold — the Cold War

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