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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. It's one o'clock ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  6. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  9. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  12. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  15. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  16. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  17. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  23. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. sharp — exactly
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. content — videos and posts
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cap — of ice
  6. file — a document
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. sharp — with an edge
  9. shower — rain
  10. content — happy
  11. file — a tool
  12. cap — a lid
  13. shower — to wash
  14. content — the amount
  15. file — a line of people
  16. sharp — clever
  17. cap — a hat
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. game — a match
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. leaves — to go away
  23. game — wild animals
  24. trunk — of a car

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