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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. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. False peace will not ________________.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  16. Where did you ________________ them?
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  19. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  22. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wind — moving air
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mug — a face
  4. object — to protest
  5. mug — a cup
  6. last — finally
  7. fine — high quality
  8. last — to go on
  9. object — a thing
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. wind — to turn a key
  13. wind — moving air
  14. game — wild animals
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. mug — to rob
  17. game — a match
  18. object — an aim
  19. fine — all right
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. stick — to attach or keep to
  22. last — final
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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