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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 124 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 water is too ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  16. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  17. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  23. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  24. Recycle the empty soda ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — not warm
  2. mug — to rob
  3. cold — an illness
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. board — a flat piece
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. fine — all right
  8. cell — in biology
  9. bear — the animal
  10. can — to be able to
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. cell — a phone
  14. bear — the animal
  15. board — to get on
  16. board — a committee
  17. can — a tin
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mug — a cup
  20. mug — a face
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. fine — high quality
  23. cold — the Cold War
  24. can — a tin

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