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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. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. That was a fun ________________.
  4. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  5. He was locked up in a ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. You don't need to ________________ round.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. The ________________ took off on time.
  18. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  19. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We're almost out of ________________.
  22. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  23. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  24. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mate — to breed
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. game — a match
  4. cell — in biology
  5. cell — in a prison
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. mate — a partner
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. bear — to put up with
  11. hand — help
  12. plane — in geometry
  13. hand — in cards
  14. pop — music
  15. pop — to visit
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. plane — an aircraft
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mate — a friend
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. pop — soda
  22. cell — a phone
  23. plane — a tool
  24. bear — the animal

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