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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  7. Have you found your soul ________________?
  8. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  9. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  10. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  14. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  15. That was ________________ to happen.
  16. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  20. We're on a ________________ here.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. squash — to crush
  3. bound — tied together
  4. bound — obliged
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. squash — the sport
  7. mate — a partner
  8. roll — a cake
  9. mate — to breed
  10. file — a tool
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. staff — employees
  13. roll — a list
  14. staff — a stick
  15. bound — certain
  16. mate — a friend
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. staff — employees
  20. roll — on a roll
  21. file — a document
  22. squash — the vegetable
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. file — a line of people

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