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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. False peace will not ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  8. Have you found your soul ________________?
  9. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  19. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The polar ice ________________ is melting.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. last — to go on
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. cap — a hat
  8. mate — a partner
  9. object — an aim
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. last — final
  12. last — finally
  13. mouse — for a computer
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. mate — to breed
  16. object — to protest
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. shower — to wash
  19. cap — a lid
  20. object — a thing
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. mate — a friend
  23. shower — rain
  24. cap — of ice

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