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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  12. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  13. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  23. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mark — a grade
  3. march — the month
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. mine — for digging
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. current — happening now
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. current — of water
  12. vault — an arched ceiling
  13. content — happy
  14. vault — a safe
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. mark — a trace
  17. straw — a straw man
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. content — videos and posts
  20. march — the month
  21. march — music
  22. straw — to clutch at straws
  23. current — electric
  24. content — the amount

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