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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. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  2. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  3. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. I'll be taking the ________________.
  12. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  19. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  20. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to snap out of it
  2. file — a tool
  3. lean — to bend
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. staff — employees
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. lean — to rest against
  9. tube — a container
  10. court — of a king
  11. tube — the underground
  12. snap — to speak sharply
  13. court — of law
  14. file — a document
  15. last — final
  16. file — a line of people
  17. last — finally
  18. staff — a stick
  19. staff — employees
  20. lean — thin
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. last — to go on
  23. snap — to click
  24. court — for sport

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