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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 took cover from the thunder ________________.
  3. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  4. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  5. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  12. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  13. There's no middle ________________.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  23. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  24. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. shower — rain
  3. drill — a practice
  4. pass — to spend time
  5. ground — crushed
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pass — a permit
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. object — to protest
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. object — a thing
  12. drill — the tool
  13. ground — a position
  14. season — in sport
  15. shower — a meteor shower
  16. drill — army training
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bore — to tire
  19. shower — to wash
  20. bore — to drill
  21. season — of the year
  22. object — an aim
  23. ground — the earth
  24. pass — to succeed

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