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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  6. He was locked up in a ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  14. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  24. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. cell — in biology
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. wind — moving air
  6. cell — in a prison
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. key — the most important part
  10. rush — hurry
  11. deal — to handle
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. cell — a phone
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. key — for a lock
  18. key — in music
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. wind — moving air
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. calf — of the leg
  24. wind — to turn a key

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