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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. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  4. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  9. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  17. When was this ________________ built?
  18. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  22. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  23. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  24. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mug — a cup
  3. wind — to turn a key
  4. wind — moving air
  5. march — music
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. fine — high quality
  8. fine — all right
  9. lie — to recline
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. temple — a place of worship
  12. mug — to rob
  13. wind — moving air
  14. band — a music group
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. band — a ring
  17. temple — a place of worship
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. march — the month
  21. band — a rubber band
  22. mug — a face
  23. march — the month
  24. temple — side of the head

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