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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  12. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  13. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  14. I can't ________________ this cold.
  15. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  20. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  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. mark — a trace
  2. content — the amount
  3. wound — an injury
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. stand — for spectators
  7. chair — a leader
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. mine — for digging
  12. content — happy
  13. wound — an injury
  14. stand — to bear
  15. shower — rain
  16. mark — a grade
  17. content — videos and posts
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. mine — belonging to me
  20. mark — to pay attention
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. shower — to wash
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  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