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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. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  8. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  9. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. We had a fire ________________ at school today.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. lie — to recline
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. wind — moving air
  7. ball — a round shape
  8. march — the month
  9. wind — to turn a key
  10. suit — in cards
  11. ball — a dance
  12. march — music
  13. suit — to fit
  14. march — the month
  15. drill — the tool
  16. degree — from a university
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. degree — an amount
  19. wind — moving air
  20. ball — a great time
  21. drill — army training
  22. suit — clothes
  23. degree — temperature
  24. drill — a practice

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