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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  6. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  15. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  18. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  19. My mare is ________________ in color.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  23. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. net — for catching
  2. net — in sport
  3. shower — a meteor shower
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. band — a music group
  6. band — a rubber band
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. shower — rain
  10. chest — a box
  11. band — a ring
  12. present — the time now
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. present — a gift
  15. fan — to cool the air
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. shower — to wash
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. bay — a horse colour
  20. chest — of your body
  21. net — after costs
  22. present — there
  23. fan — a supporter
  24. chest — of your body

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