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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. Have you found your soul ________________?
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  4. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  5. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  6. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  15. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  16. Don't do anything ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  23. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  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. mate — a partner
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. wind — moving air
  4. file — a document
  5. rock — music
  6. mate — a friend
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. rash — a series
  9. degree — an amount
  10. rock — a stone
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. degree — from a university
  13. suit — to fit
  14. file — a line of people
  15. rock — to move gently
  16. rash — hasty
  17. suit — clothes
  18. wind — to turn a key
  19. degree — temperature
  20. file — a tool
  21. suit — in cards
  22. mate — to breed
  23. wind — moving air
  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