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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. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  2. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. The tickets are free of ________________.
  19. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. He was locked up in a ________________.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. mine — an explosive
  2. ruler — for measuring
  3. charge — in control
  4. charge — electricity
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. swing — to play on
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. mine — for digging
  9. degree — temperature
  10. swing — music
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. hand — in cards
  13. mine — belonging to me
  14. cell — in biology
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. charge — a price
  19. hand — help
  20. degree — an amount
  21. cell — in a prison
  22. swing — in golf
  23. degree — from a university
  24. cell — a phone

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