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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. The King held a masked ________________.
  5. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  6. The ________________ took off on time.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. I've got to change the light ________________.
  11. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  12. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He works in a ________________ mill.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. The light ________________ burned out.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. saw — past of 'see'
  3. chest — of your body
  4. ball — a dance
  5. plane — a tool
  6. plane — an aircraft
  7. last — finally
  8. last — final
  9. chest — a box
  10. bulb — for light
  11. ball — a round shape
  12. ball — a great time
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. saw — the tool
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. plane — in geometry
  17. chest — of your body
  18. saw — the tool
  19. bulb — of a plant
  20. last — to go on
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. sharp — clever
  23. bulb — for light
  24. sharp — with an edge

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