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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  11. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  12. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  13. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  14. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  15. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  16. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  19. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  20. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  23. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. mark — to pay attention
  4. mine — for digging
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. race — a contest
  8. squash — to crush
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. perch — the fish
  11. deal — a big deal
  12. deal — to handle
  13. squash — the sport
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. deal — an agreement
  16. race — humankind
  17. cell — in biology
  18. race — the arms race
  19. squash — the vegetable
  20. cell — a phone
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. perch — for a bird
  23. mark — a grade
  24. cell — in a prison

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