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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 had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  7. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  8. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. Have you settled on a ________________?
  16. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  17. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  20. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  21. How do you ________________ your surname?
  22. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  23. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. date — the fruit
  4. vault — a safe
  5. file — a document
  6. face — to point toward
  7. date — on the calendar
  8. spell — a short time
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. vault — in gymnastics
  11. face — to confront
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. file — a tool
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. date — on the calendar
  16. craft — boats
  17. craft — a skill
  18. spell — magic
  19. file — a line of people
  20. row — a line
  21. spell — letters
  22. face — part of the head
  23. craft — a handicraft
  24. row — to paddle

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