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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 124 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 soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  4. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  5. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  9. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  16. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  20. The tickets are free of ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  23. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. drill — army training
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mark — a grade
  4. cold — the Cold War
  5. drill — a practice
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cold — an illness
  8. clip — for paper
  9. staff — a stick
  10. charge — in control
  11. clip — to cut
  12. drill — the tool
  13. rest — what's left
  14. staff — employees
  15. clip — a video
  16. mark — a trace
  17. charge — electricity
  18. staff — employees
  19. rest — a break
  20. charge — a price
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. mark — to pay attention
  23. rest — what's left
  24. cold — not warm

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