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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. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  2. He works in a ________________ mill.
  3. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  8. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  9. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  10. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. That must've been a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. saw — past of 'see'
  2. saw — the tool
  3. racket — for tennis
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. rush — hurry
  7. season — in sport
  8. racket — a loud noise
  9. land — ground
  10. season — of the year
  11. land — to come down
  12. drill — army training
  13. drill — the tool
  14. rush — a thrill
  15. saw — the tool
  16. mark — a grade
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. mark — a trace
  21. drill — a practice
  22. land — a country
  23. mark — to pay attention
  24. season — to add flavour

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