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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. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  13. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  14. The water is too ________________.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. deal — to handle
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. mate — a partner
  6. mine — for digging
  7. mark — a grade
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. mine — an explosive
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. mark — to pay attention
  13. mate — to breed
  14. cold — not warm
  15. foot — a measure
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cold — an illness
  18. mate — a friend
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. deal — a big deal
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. deal — an agreement

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