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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  10. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  11. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  12. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  13. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. There's no middle ________________.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  20. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  24. She had a strange look on her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. ground — crushed
  3. charge — a price
  4. cue — a hint
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rash — hasty
  9. prune — to trim
  10. rash — on the skin
  11. cue — for pool
  12. face — to point toward
  13. cue — a signal
  14. ground — the earth
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ground — a position
  18. charge — in control
  19. face — to confront
  20. prune — to trim
  21. rash — a series
  22. game — a match
  23. charge — electricity
  24. face — part of the head

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