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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  6. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  7. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  8. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  9. My father caught me by the ________________.
  10. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The ________________ market has crashed.
  23. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  24. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. fall — to drop
  4. last — to go on
  5. bear — to put up with
  6. arm — part of the body
  7. bear — the animal
  8. fall — to drop
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. present — the time now
  11. last — final
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. dip — to dunk
  14. present — there
  15. stock — a soup base
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. dip — to sink
  18. bear — the animal
  19. last — finally
  20. stock — goods
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stock — shares
  23. fall — the season
  24. present — a gift

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