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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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. The water is too ________________.
  8. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. court — of law
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. can — to be able to
  6. can — a tin
  7. cold — not warm
  8. cold — an illness
  9. court — for sport
  10. drill — a practice
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. deal — a big deal
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. court — of a king
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. can — a tin
  18. drill — the tool
  19. fall — to drop
  20. fall — the season
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. deal — to handle
  23. fall — to drop
  24. trunk — of a car

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