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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  8. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  9. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  14. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  15. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. When will it ________________ you to start?
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. My mare is ________________ in color.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. cap — a hat
  4. spell — letters
  5. cap — a lid
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bay — a part of the sea
  8. file — a line of people
  9. cap — of ice
  10. suit — clothes
  11. spell — a short time
  12. spell — magic
  13. suit — in cards
  14. file — a tool
  15. file — a document
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. suit — to fit
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. shower — to wash
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — rain
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. bay — a horse colour

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