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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 120 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. When was this ________________ built?
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  5. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  6. I'll be taking the ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  9. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  24. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.

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

Answer key

  1. temple — a place of worship
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. charge — electricity
  4. kid — child
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. tube — the underground
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — the arms race
  9. charge — in control
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. cell — a phone
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. race — humankind
  14. kid — to tease
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. tube — a container
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. stick — a piece of wood
  20. charge — a price
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. temple — side of the head
  24. cell — in biology

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