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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 were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. He is an ace ________________.
  14. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  17. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  18. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. file — a line of people
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. file — a document
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. file — a tool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. cell — in biology
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. pitcher — in baseball
  14. net — in sport
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. cell — a phone
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. rock — music
  19. net — for catching
  20. cap — of ice
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. cap — a hat
  23. cap — a lid
  24. net — after costs

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