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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  7. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  8. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  11. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  19. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  20. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  21. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  22. Where did you ________________ them?
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. We ________________ up on opposing sides.

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

Answer key

  1. mug — a cup
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. bowl — to roll
  4. net — after costs
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. drill — the tool
  7. wound — an injury
  8. net — for catching
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. mug — a face
  11. straw — dry grass
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. straw — a straw man
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. bowl — a dish
  17. net — in sport
  18. wound — an injury
  19. drill — army training
  20. bowl — a football final
  21. sharp — clever
  22. mug — to rob
  23. drill — a practice
  24. wound — past of 'wind'

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