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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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Word bank
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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The water is too ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  5. Did you ________________ the meat?
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  23. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. cold — not warm
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. hide — to keep secret
  5. season — to add flavour
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. racket — a loud noise
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. chair — a professorship
  13. cold — an illness
  14. game — wild animals
  15. season — of the year
  16. chair — a leader
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. hide — animal skin
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. season — in sport
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. game — a kind of play
  24. cold — the Cold War

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