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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  3. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  13. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  14. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  20. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  21. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mine — an explosive
  3. ground — crushed
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mine — belonging to me
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. net — for catching
  9. bank — for money
  10. mine — for digging
  11. net — after costs
  12. bat — for baseball
  13. bank — of a river
  14. bank — for money
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. bat — the animal
  17. cue — a signal
  18. ground — a position
  19. cue — a hint
  20. bat — in an idiom
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cue — for pool
  24. net — in sport

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