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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 116 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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  5. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  6. The King held a masked ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  24. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?

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

Answer key

  1. mate — a partner
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — for tennis
  5. fan — to cool the air
  6. ball — a dance
  7. mate — a friend
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. ball — a great time
  11. cap — of ice
  12. ball — a round shape
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. cap — a hat
  16. cap — a lid
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mine — for digging
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. mate — to breed
  23. bay — a part of the sea
  24. fan — a supporter

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