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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. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  3. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. What do you think of the new ________________?
  16. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  17. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  18. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  23. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ruler — a monarch
  3. race — humankind
  4. mug — a face
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. race — the arms race
  8. fall — to drop
  9. net — for catching
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. mug — a cup
  12. ruler — for measuring
  13. mug — to rob
  14. fall — the season
  15. cabinet — ministers
  16. cabinet — ministers
  17. cabinet — a cupboard
  18. fall — to drop
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. net — in sport
  22. race — a contest
  23. pitcher — a jug
  24. net — after costs

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