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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  11. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  17. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  18. What do you think of the new ________________?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. wound — an injury
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. object — a thing
  6. ball — a great time
  7. wound — past of 'wind'
  8. object — an aim
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. leaves — lets stay
  11. wound — an injury
  12. game — a match
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. game — wild animals
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. cabinet — a cupboard
  17. leaves — of a tree
  18. cabinet — ministers
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. game — a kind of play
  22. ball — a dance
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. leaves — to go away

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