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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. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  2. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  6. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  7. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — for dogs
  2. safe — a strongbox
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mug — to rob
  5. spring — of water
  6. stick — to attach or keep to
  7. mug — a face
  8. spring — a coil
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. court — of a king
  11. spring — the season
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. cell — a phone
  14. court — of law
  15. safe — out of danger
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. cell — in biology
  21. court — for sport
  22. pound — a weight
  23. mug — a cup
  24. cell — in a prison

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