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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. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  2. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  3. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  8. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  13. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  14. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. The tickets are free of ________________.
  18. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  19. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  20. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  21. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  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. safe — a strongbox
  2. spring — a coil
  3. rock — a stone
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. stick — a piece of wood
  8. stick — a piece of wood
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. spring — of water
  11. charge — electricity
  12. safe — out of danger
  13. fork — in a road
  14. safe — out of danger
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. charge — in control
  17. charge — a price
  18. rock — to move gently
  19. spring — the season
  20. fork — a garden tool
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. rock — music
  23. stick — to attach or keep to
  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