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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  7. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. The tickets are free of ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  18. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. That was a fun ________________.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. fine — all right
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. chest — a box
  7. charge — in control
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — the animal
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. charge — a price
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. lie — an untruth
  16. game — wild animals
  17. jam — a tight spot
  18. lie — to recline
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. charge — electricity
  22. chest — of your body
  23. game — a match
  24. fine — high quality

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