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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. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  12. There's no middle ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. David sat on the ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  21. When was this ________________ built?
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. shower — rain
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. swing — music
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. swing — in golf
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. content — the amount
  12. ground — a position
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. swing — to play on
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. ground — crushed
  17. ground — the earth
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. temple — side of the head
  21. temple — a place of worship
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. content — happy
  24. shower — to wash

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