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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. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  2. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  6. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  7. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  8. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  12. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  13. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  14. That was a fun ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  17. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  24. Do you need a ________________ with that?

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

Answer key

  1. object — to protest
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. staff — employees
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. staff — a stick
  6. bear — the animal
  7. mark — a trace
  8. lie — an untruth
  9. lie — to recline
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. game — wild animals
  12. hand — part of the body
  13. staff — employees
  14. game — a match
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. hand — in cards
  17. bear — to put up with
  18. bear — the animal
  19. mark — a grade
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. lie — an untruth
  22. object — a thing
  23. object — an aim
  24. hand — help

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