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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  9. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  14. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. There's no middle ________________.
  20. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  24. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.

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

Answer key

  1. cue — a hint
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. land — a country
  5. file — a tool
  6. chest — of your body
  7. file — a document
  8. ground — crushed
  9. file — a line of people
  10. land — ground
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. bowl — a football final
  14. cue — for pool
  15. land — to come down
  16. ground — the earth
  17. bowl — to roll
  18. chest — a box
  19. ground — a position
  20. lash — a whip stroke
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. bowl — a dish
  24. cue — a signal

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