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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. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  7. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  8. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  17. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  21. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  22. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. deal — to handle
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. wake — before a funeral
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. kick — with a leg
  7. bass — the fish
  8. drill — army training
  9. field — for sport
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. mate — a partner
  13. field — a subject
  14. bass — the instrument
  15. mate — to breed
  16. wake — to stop sleeping
  17. field — farmland
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. drill — a practice
  20. bass — low music
  21. wake — a trail
  22. drill — the tool
  23. kick — in football
  24. mate — a friend

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