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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  6. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  7. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  8. He works in a ________________ mill.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  16. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  17. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  20. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. snap — to click
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pound — a weight
  5. pound — to hit hard
  6. degree — temperature
  7. staff — employees
  8. saw — the tool
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. saw — past of 'see'
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. game — a match
  14. degree — an amount
  15. staff — employees
  16. game — a kind of play
  17. snap — to speak sharply
  18. saw — the tool
  19. staff — a stick
  20. degree — from a university
  21. game — wild animals
  22. pound — for dogs
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. snap — to snap out of it

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