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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. When will it ________________ you to start?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  7. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  10. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  13. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  14. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  17. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  18. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  19. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  20. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  24. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. suit — to fit
  4. degree — from a university
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. current — happening now
  7. mine — belonging to me
  8. mine — for digging
  9. suit — in cards
  10. snap — to click
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. suit — clothes
  13. snap — to snap out of it
  14. chair — a leader
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. current — of water
  17. fork — a garden tool
  18. fork — in a road
  19. snap — to speak sharply
  20. current — electric
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. degree — an amount
  23. chair — to sit on
  24. degree — temperature

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