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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The King held a masked ________________.
  3. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  11. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  16. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  17. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  20. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. I had a ________________ with my boss today.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ball — a dance
  3. fine — a penalty
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. cap — of ice
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. staff — employees
  9. fine — all right
  10. row — to paddle
  11. cap — a hat
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. spell — letters
  14. staff — employees
  15. racket — for tennis
  16. racket — for tennis
  17. spell — a short time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. row — a line
  20. staff — a stick
  21. spell — magic
  22. ball — a great time
  23. cap — a lid
  24. row — a quarrel

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