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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Where did you ________________ them?
  3. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  6. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  7. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  8. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  13. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  14. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  22. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mug — to rob
  3. rock — to move gently
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. cap — a hat
  6. last — final
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. patient — calm and waiting
  9. last — finally
  10. game — a match
  11. mug — a cup
  12. patient — a sick person
  13. cap — of ice
  14. chair — a professorship
  15. chair — a leader
  16. game — wild animals
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rock — music
  19. last — to go on
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. rock — a stone
  22. cap — a lid
  23. mug — a face
  24. game — a kind of play

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