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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  9. When are we going to ________________?
  10. The King held a masked ________________.
  11. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  12. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  17. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  21. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  22. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. cue — a hint
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. land — ground
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bank — of a river
  9. land — to come down
  10. ball — a dance
  11. rash — a series
  12. bank — for money
  13. net — after costs
  14. cue — a signal
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. land — a country
  17. bank — for money
  18. rash — hasty
  19. net — for catching
  20. ball — a great time
  21. ball — a round shape
  22. cue — for pool
  23. net — in sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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