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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  6. That was ________________ to happen.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Where did you ________________ them?
  13. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  14. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  15. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  16. The tickets are free of ________________.
  17. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  18. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mug — a cup
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. prune — the fruit
  6. bound — certain
  7. last — to go on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. last — final
  10. row — a line
  11. bound — tied together
  12. mug — to rob
  13. mug — a face
  14. prune — to trim
  15. bowl — to roll
  16. charge — a price
  17. row — a quarrel
  18. last — finally
  19. charge — in control
  20. charge — electricity
  21. prune — to trim
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bound — obliged
  24. row — to paddle

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