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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. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. There's no middle ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. David sat on the ________________.
  16. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  19. False peace will not ________________.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cap — of ice
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. cap — a lid
  4. ground — a position
  5. last — finally
  6. cap — a hat
  7. wake — to stop sleeping
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. wake — before a funeral
  10. bore — to tire
  11. charge — electricity
  12. charge — a price
  13. last — final
  14. ground — the earth
  15. swing — to play on
  16. bore — gave birth
  17. swing — music
  18. wake — a trail
  19. last — to go on
  20. charge — in control
  21. swing — in golf
  22. bore — to drill
  23. ground — crushed
  24. trunk — of a car

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