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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. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  11. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  14. It's one o'clock ________________.
  15. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  24. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. sharp — clever
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. fine — all right
  5. pass — to succeed
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — high quality
  8. pass — to spend time
  9. net — in sport
  10. spell — a short time
  11. spell — magic
  12. wake — a trail
  13. pass — a permit
  14. sharp — exactly
  15. wake — to stop sleeping
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. lean — thin
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. wake — before a funeral
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. net — for catching
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. net — after costs
  24. lean — to bend

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