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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. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  7. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. That was a fun ________________.
  13. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  14. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  15. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  24. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.

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

Answer key

  1. object — a thing
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. rash — hasty
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — a tin
  7. object — an aim
  8. shower — rain
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. deal — a big deal
  11. track — a path
  12. game — a match
  13. rash — on the skin
  14. track — a song
  15. can — a tin
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. can — to be able to
  19. deal — an agreement
  20. object — to protest
  21. track — to keep track
  22. game — wild animals
  23. deal — to handle
  24. rash — a series

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