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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  20. Did you ________________ the meat?
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  23. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  24. I got dealt a bad ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. mate — to breed
  4. mate — a partner
  5. mate — a friend
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. season — of the year
  10. hide — animal skin
  11. season — in sport
  12. safe — a strongbox
  13. net — for catching
  14. net — in sport
  15. object — to protest
  16. net — after costs
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. object — an aim
  20. season — to add flavour
  21. hand — help
  22. hide — to keep secret
  23. hand — part of the body
  24. hand — in cards

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