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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  12. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. When are we going to ________________?
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. sharp — exactly
  3. stand — to bear
  4. land — a country
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. swing — in golf
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. bound — obliged
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. stand — for spectators
  12. swing — music
  13. face — to point toward
  14. swing — to play on
  15. face — part of the head
  16. sharp — clever
  17. land — to come down
  18. hand — in cards
  19. hand — help
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. land — ground
  22. bound — tied together
  23. face — to confront
  24. bound — certain

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