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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. He works in a ________________ mill.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. It's one o'clock ________________.
  5. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  6. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  7. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  12. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. She's very handy with a ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  18. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  24. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.

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

Answer key

  1. saw — the tool
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. face — to confront
  4. sharp — exactly
  5. bear — the animal
  6. bear — to put up with
  7. deal — an agreement
  8. tube — the underground
  9. bear — the animal
  10. deal — to handle
  11. face — to point toward
  12. tube — a container
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. saw — the tool
  15. hand — in cards
  16. face — part of the head
  17. hand — part of the body
  18. deal — a big deal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. sharp — clever
  21. tube — in a tire
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. hand — help
  24. saw — past of 'see'

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