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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. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  7. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  8. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  24. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fall — the season
  2. mate — to breed
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. foot — a measure
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. wave — with your hand
  7. cell — a phone
  8. ruler — for measuring
  9. cell — in biology
  10. scale — in music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. fall — to drop
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. fall — to drop
  16. mate — a friend
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. scale — size or range
  20. foot — part of the body
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. mate — a partner
  23. ruler — a monarch
  24. wave — of the sea

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