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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  7. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  10. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  15. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. bass — low music
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rock — a stone
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. bass — the instrument
  10. bay — to keep at bay
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. rash — a series
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. stick — to attach or keep to
  15. rock — music
  16. rash — hasty
  17. ground — the earth
  18. ground — a position
  19. bass — the fish
  20. ground — crushed
  21. wake — a trail
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. wake — before a funeral
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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