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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've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  4. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  5. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  8. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. When are we going to ________________?
  12. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  13. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  21. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  22. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. cap — a lid
  4. wave — a sudden rise
  5. land — a country
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. rush — hurry
  8. dip — a sauce
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. land — to come down
  12. bass — low music
  13. wave — of the sea
  14. bass — the fish
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. dip — to dunk
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rush — to hurry
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. dip — to sink
  21. cap — of ice
  22. cap — a hat
  23. land — ground
  24. wave — with your hand

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