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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  3. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. It's one o'clock ________________.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  16. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  17. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  21. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  22. How do you ________________ your surname?
  23. The tickets are free of ________________.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. hand — in cards
  3. charge — in control
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. hand — help
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. sharp — exactly
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. sharp — clever
  13. spell — a short time
  14. race — the arms race
  15. bay — to keep at bay
  16. hand — part of the body
  17. race — humankind
  18. spell — magic
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. race — a contest
  21. charge — electricity
  22. spell — letters
  23. charge — a price
  24. sharp — with an edge

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