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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. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  4. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. My mare is ________________ in color.
  8. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. How do you ________________ your surname?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. perch — for a bird
  4. mate — to breed
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. mate — a partner
  7. bay — a horse colour
  8. object — to protest
  9. hand — help
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — letters
  12. object — a thing
  13. spell — magic
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. hand — in cards
  16. object — an aim
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. perch — for a bird
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — a price
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. perch — the fish
  23. mate — a friend
  24. bay — to keep at bay

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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