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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  10. That was a fun ________________.
  11. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  17. The ________________ went through the wall.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  20. Have you found your soul ________________?
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. firm — decided
  3. file — a line of people
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. snap — to snap out of it
  6. file — a tool
  7. firm — a company
  8. present — the time now
  9. firm — steady
  10. game — a match
  11. snap — to speak sharply
  12. snap — to click
  13. present — a gift
  14. mate — a friend
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. present — there
  17. nail — for a hammer
  18. file — a document
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. mate — a partner
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mate — to breed
  23. game — wild animals
  24. nail — on a finger

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