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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  19. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. That was ________________ to happen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. file — a line of people
  4. file — a document
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. wake — a trail
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. ground — a position
  10. ground — crushed
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. bound — tied together
  13. firm — decided
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. game — wild animals
  16. bound — obliged
  17. file — a tool
  18. ground — the earth
  19. firm — a company
  20. firm — steady
  21. fork — in a road
  22. game — a match
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. bound — certain

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