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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. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  3. There's no middle ________________.
  4. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  12. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  15. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  16. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. She's very handy with a ________________.
  22. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  23. Have you found your soul ________________?
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mouse — the animal
  3. ground — a position
  4. ground — crushed
  5. ground — the earth
  6. mouse — the animal
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. saw — the tool
  9. hand — part of the body
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hand — help
  12. mate — a friend
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. squash — to crush
  15. bowl — a dish
  16. bowl — to roll
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. mate — to breed
  19. squash — the sport
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. saw — the tool
  22. saw — past of 'see'
  23. mate — a partner
  24. hand — in cards

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