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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 116 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. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  10. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  11. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. How do you ________________ your surname?
  14. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  15. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  16. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. Have you found your soul ________________?
  20. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  21. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  22. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  23. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  24. The tickets are free of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — music
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. spell — a short time
  4. charge — electricity
  5. spell — magic
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. rock — to move gently
  10. pound — for dogs
  11. stick — to attach or keep to
  12. pound — a weight
  13. spell — letters
  14. wind — moving air
  15. wind — moving air
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. mate — a friend
  19. mate — a partner
  20. rock — a stone
  21. charge — in control
  22. pound — to hit hard
  23. mate — to breed
  24. charge — a price

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