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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 cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  2. When will it ________________ you to start?
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. What do you think of the new ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  10. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  11. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  12. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. suit — clothes
  2. suit — to fit
  3. wind — moving air
  4. object — a thing
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. court — of law
  9. file — a document
  10. pop — music
  11. suit — in cards
  12. object — to protest
  13. pop — soda
  14. cabinet — a cupboard
  15. file — a line of people
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. pop — to visit
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. wind — moving air
  20. court — for sport
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. object — an aim
  23. court — of a king
  24. file — a tool

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