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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  11. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  12. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  13. The water is too ________________.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. False peace will not ________________.
  18. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  19. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. last — finally
  4. fine — all right
  5. cap — of ice
  6. object — to protest
  7. last — final
  8. object — an aim
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. fine — high quality
  11. safe — a strongbox
  12. cold — an illness
  13. cold — not warm
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. last — to go on
  18. safe — out of danger
  19. straw — dry grass
  20. object — a thing
  21. safe — out of danger
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. cap — a hat
  24. cap — a lid

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