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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. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  4. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  9. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  10. I'll be taking the ________________.
  11. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. The water is too ________________.
  18. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  22. When are we going to ________________?
  23. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. drill — a practice
  2. mate — a partner
  3. cabinet — ministers
  4. cabinet — a cupboard
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. tube — in a tire
  9. cold — the Cold War
  10. tube — the underground
  11. land — ground
  12. tube — a container
  13. mate — to breed
  14. land — a country
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. drill — army training
  17. cold — not warm
  18. cold — an illness
  19. drill — the tool
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. coach — pulled by horses
  22. land — to come down
  23. mate — a friend
  24. cabinet — ministers

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