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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 124 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. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  9. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  10. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  14. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  18. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  19. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  20. That was a fun ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. jam — to spread on bread
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. wind — moving air
  7. mug — to rob
  8. bear — the animal
  9. bear — the animal
  10. arm — part of the body
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. mine — for digging
  14. wind — to turn a key
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. game — wild animals
  18. jam — a tight spot
  19. mug — a cup
  20. game — a match
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. wind — moving air
  23. mug — a face
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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