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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 124 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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  6. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  7. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  10. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  13. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  17. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  18. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  19. He was locked up in a ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  22. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. drill — a practice
  3. drill — army training
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. clip — a video
  6. safe — out of danger
  7. clip — for paper
  8. cell — a phone
  9. drill — the tool
  10. clip — to cut
  11. net — for catching
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. staff — a stick
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. cell — in biology
  17. staff — employees
  18. net — in sport
  19. cell — in a prison
  20. sharp — clever
  21. staff — employees
  22. safe — a strongbox
  23. net — after costs
  24. sharp — exactly

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