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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  4. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  5. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  6. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. That must've been a ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  20. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. rest — a break
  3. chair — to sit on
  4. rest — what's left
  5. stick — to attach or keep to
  6. rest — what's left
  7. net — for catching
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. rush — hurry
  10. net — in sport
  11. shower — rain
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. net — after costs
  14. dip — to sink
  15. rush — a thrill
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. chair — a leader
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. shower — to wash
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. dip — to dunk
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. stick — a piece of wood

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