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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. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  8. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  9. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  10. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  11. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  16. It's one o'clock ________________.
  17. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  20. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. spring — the season
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. file — a tool
  5. spring — a coil
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. dip — a sauce
  8. track — to keep track
  9. track — a path
  10. board — to get on
  11. board — a committee
  12. file — a line of people
  13. track — a song
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. dip — to sink
  16. sharp — exactly
  17. spring — of water
  18. file — a document
  19. safe — out of danger
  20. dip — to dunk
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. sharp — clever
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. safe — a strongbox

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