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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 teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  17. We're on a ________________ here.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  20. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — a list
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. foot — a measure
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. sharp — clever
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. staff — employees
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. spell — letters
  12. spell — a short time
  13. staff — employees
  14. roll — a cake
  15. file — a tool
  16. foot — the bottom
  17. roll — on a roll
  18. staff — a stick
  19. jam — a tight spot
  20. spell — magic
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. file — a document
  23. file — a line of people
  24. trunk — of a tree

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