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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  3. It's one o'clock ________________.
  4. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  10. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  14. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  17. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  18. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  19. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. wind — to turn a key
  3. sharp — exactly
  4. cue — for pool
  5. last — finally
  6. dip — to dunk
  7. last — to go on
  8. fork — in a road
  9. fork — a garden tool
  10. wind — moving air
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. wind — moving air
  14. dip — to sink
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. fork — to eat with
  17. cue — a signal
  18. leaves — to go away
  19. sharp — clever
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. leaves — of a tree
  22. cue — a hint
  23. sharp — with an edge
  24. last — final

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