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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  5. When are we going to ________________?
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  8. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  9. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  10. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  11. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  12. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. There's no middle ________________.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pop — soda
  3. pop — music
  4. straw — dry grass
  5. land — to come down
  6. land — a country
  7. can — to be able to
  8. straw — a straw man
  9. bowl — a dish
  10. bowl — to roll
  11. can — a tin
  12. land — ground
  13. can — a tin
  14. ground — the earth
  15. straw — to clutch at straws
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ground — crushed
  18. tube — a container
  19. tube — the underground
  20. pop — to visit
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. ground — a position
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. trunk — of a tree

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