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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. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  3. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  4. David sat on the ________________.
  5. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. When will it ________________ you to start?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  23. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  24. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rock — to move gently
  3. dip — to sink
  4. swing — to play on
  5. shower — a meteor shower
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. file — a document
  8. shower — rain
  9. file — a line of people
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. rock — a stone
  13. net — for catching
  14. shower — to wash
  15. net — after costs
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. net — in sport
  18. suit — clothes
  19. swing — in golf
  20. suit — to fit
  21. suit — in cards
  22. swing — music
  23. file — a tool
  24. rock — music

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