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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. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  4. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  5. She's very handy with a ________________.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  11. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  17. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  20. He works in a ________________ mill.
  21. The water is too ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. We are ________________ to obey laws.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. cold — the Cold War
  4. safe — a strongbox
  5. saw — the tool
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. cell — a phone
  9. bound — certain
  10. file — a document
  11. cold — an illness
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. deal — to handle
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. deal — an agreement
  17. file — a tool
  18. file — a line of people
  19. saw — past of 'see'
  20. saw — the tool
  21. cold — not warm
  22. bound — tied together
  23. cell — in biology
  24. bound — obliged

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