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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. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  2. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  6. When are we going to ________________?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  9. Have you found your soul ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  16. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  19. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  20. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. False peace will not ________________.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. stick — to attach or keep to
  2. last — finally
  3. season — in sport
  4. land — a country
  5. mate — to breed
  6. land — to come down
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bear — the animal
  9. mate — a partner
  10. mate — a friend
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. bear — to put up with
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. last — final
  15. stick — a piece of wood
  16. stick — a piece of wood
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. chest — a box
  19. chest — of your body
  20. bear — the animal
  21. land — ground
  22. last — to go on
  23. season — of the year
  24. chest — of your body

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