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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 124 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 had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. When are we going to ________________?
  4. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  8. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. That must've been a ________________.
  12. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  13. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. That was ________________ to happen.
  20. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  21. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  24. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.

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

Answer key

  1. cold — an illness
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. land — to come down
  4. fork — in a road
  5. bound — obliged
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. club — for dancing
  8. rush — to hurry
  9. cold — not warm
  10. land — ground
  11. rush — a thrill
  12. fork — to eat with
  13. fork — a garden tool
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. land — a country
  16. club — a group
  17. deal — to handle
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. bound — certain
  20. deal — an agreement
  21. bound — tied together
  22. rush — hurry
  23. club — for golf
  24. cold — the Cold War

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