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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  3. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  4. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  7. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  8. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  11. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  12. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  13. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  20. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  21. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. clip — for paper
  3. cap — of ice
  4. march — the month
  5. content — the amount
  6. content — videos and posts
  7. cap — a lid
  8. clip — a video
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. content — happy
  11. jam — a tight spot
  12. pound — for dogs
  13. cap — a hat
  14. suit — to fit
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. suit — clothes
  19. clip — to cut
  20. pound — a weight
  21. march — the month
  22. suit — in cards
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. march — music

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