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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  2. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  5. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  6. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  7. The ________________ market has crashed.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  12. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  13. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  17. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  18. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  19. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  20. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  21. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  24. That must've been a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. nail — on a finger
  2. mark — a trace
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. cap — a hat
  5. rush — hurry
  6. nail — for a hammer
  7. stock — shares
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. cap — a lid
  12. wake — before a funeral
  13. stock — a soup base
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. rush — to hurry
  17. wake — to stop sleeping
  18. cap — of ice
  19. mark — a grade
  20. stock — goods
  21. mine — for digging
  22. wake — a trail
  23. mine — belonging to me
  24. rush — a thrill

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