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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. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  2. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  7. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  8. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  9. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  12. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  13. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. When will it ________________ you to start?
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  23. I'll be taking the ________________.
  24. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — in cards
  2. suit — in cards
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. track — to keep track
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. shower — rain
  7. track — a path
  8. shower — a meteor shower
  9. band — a ring
  10. track — a song
  11. tube — a container
  12. hand — help
  13. cell — a phone
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. shower — to wash
  17. band — a music group
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. suit — to fit
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. band — a rubber band
  23. tube — the underground
  24. suit — clothes

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