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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 124 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. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. When are we going to ________________?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  8. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  9. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  10. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  11. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  19. That was a fun ________________.
  20. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  23. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. file — a document
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. land — to come down
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — ground
  7. land — a country
  8. jam — to spread on bread
  9. game — a kind of play
  10. ruler — for measuring
  11. face — to confront
  12. file — a line of people
  13. face — to point toward
  14. wake — before a funeral
  15. face — part of the head
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. game — wild animals
  19. game — a match
  20. jam — a tight spot
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. file — a tool
  23. wake — to stop sleeping
  24. wake — a trail

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