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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  11. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  16. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  21. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. can — a tin
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. drill — the tool
  5. cap — of ice
  6. wake — before a funeral
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. game — wild animals
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. drill — army training
  11. mark — a grade
  12. cap — a lid
  13. can — a tin
  14. mark — a trace
  15. cap — a hat
  16. mark — to pay attention
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. wake — to stop sleeping
  19. game — a match
  20. wake — a trail
  21. can — to be able to
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. drill — a practice
  24. bat — the animal

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