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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. Where did you ________________ them?
  11. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  12. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  13. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. He is an ace ________________.
  16. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  19. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. current — electric
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. current — happening now
  7. racket — for tennis
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. mug — to rob
  11. vault — an arched ceiling
  12. vault — a safe
  13. racket — for tennis
  14. mine — for digging
  15. pitcher — in baseball
  16. mine — an explosive
  17. mug — a cup
  18. fall — to drop
  19. fall — the season
  20. current — of water
  21. fall — to drop
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. mug — a face
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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