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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. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  14. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  18. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  19. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  20. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. The ________________ went through the wall.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — a piece of wood
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. field — a subject
  4. object — a thing
  5. mate — a friend
  6. hand — in cards
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. hand — help
  9. object — an aim
  10. mate — to breed
  11. mate — a partner
  12. object — to protest
  13. mark — a grade
  14. field — for sport
  15. mark — a trace
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. mark — to pay attention
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. stick — to attach or keep to
  20. nail — on a finger
  21. field — farmland
  22. nail — for a hammer
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. nail — for a hammer

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