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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 116 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. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  9. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  10. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  13. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  14. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  15. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Have you found your soul ________________?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  24. That was a fun ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mug — a cup
  6. fan — to cool the air
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. wind — moving air
  9. squash — the sport
  10. hand — part of the body
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. wind — to turn a key
  14. mug — a face
  15. squash — the vegetable
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wind — moving air
  18. hand — in cards
  19. mate — to breed
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. mate — a partner
  22. mug — to rob
  23. squash — to crush
  24. game — a match

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