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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  3. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  6. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  7. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  11. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  14. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  15. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  16. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  21. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  22. Have you found your soul ________________?
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. row — a quarrel
  3. rush — to hurry
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. row — to paddle
  6. face — to confront
  7. coach — pulled by horses
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. face — to point toward
  11. mate — a friend
  12. mate — to breed
  13. toast — the most admired
  14. face — part of the head
  15. row — a line
  16. sharp — with an edge
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. sharp — clever
  20. rush — hurry
  21. toast — bread
  22. mate — a partner
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. toast — a drink to someone

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