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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  8. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  19. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  23. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  24. Have you found your soul ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wave — with your hand
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pit — in a race
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. cold — not warm
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. perch — the fish
  9. present — a gift
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. wave — of the sea
  13. mate — a friend
  14. present — there
  15. present — the time now
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. mate — to breed
  19. cold — the Cold War
  20. pit — a hole
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. cold — an illness
  23. wave — a sudden rise
  24. mate — a partner

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