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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 116 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. There's no middle ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  6. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  7. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  8. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  9. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. False peace will not ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. It's one o'clock ________________.
  21. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. ground — a position
  3. last — finally
  4. saw — the tool
  5. suit — in cards
  6. sharp — with an edge
  7. last — final
  8. pound — for dogs
  9. pound — a weight
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ground — crushed
  13. last — to go on
  14. ground — the earth
  15. sharp — clever
  16. saw — past of 'see'
  17. pass — a permit
  18. suit — clothes
  19. suit — to fit
  20. sharp — exactly
  21. pass — to spend time
  22. saw — the tool
  23. pound — to hit hard
  24. trunk — of a tree

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