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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 thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  15. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  20. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  21. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. mouse — the animal
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. current — happening now
  7. clip — for paper
  8. clip — to cut
  9. chair — a leader
  10. current — electric
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. shower — to wash
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. shower — rain
  15. current — of water
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. clip — a video
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. pitcher — a jug
  20. shower — a meteor shower
  21. mark — a trace
  22. mark — a grade
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. pitcher — a jug

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