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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. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  18. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. dip — to sink
  2. ball — a dance
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bear — the animal
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. file — a document
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. scale — size or range
  11. file — a tool
  12. vault — a safe
  13. ball — a great time
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. scale — for weighing
  16. bear — the animal
  17. vault — in gymnastics
  18. vault — an arched ceiling
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. bear — to put up with
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. scale — in music
  24. file — a line of people

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