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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  6. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  7. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  8. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. The water is too ________________.
  12. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  13. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  17. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  18. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  19. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. spring — of water
  3. charge — in control
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. spring — a coil
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. rock — music
  9. spell — letters
  10. rock — a stone
  11. cold — not warm
  12. fan — a supporter
  13. rock — to move gently
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. spell — a short time
  16. charge — electricity
  17. spring — the season
  18. cold — the Cold War
  19. cold — an illness
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. spell — magic
  23. charge — a price
  24. racket — a loud noise

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