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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  6. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. That must've been a ________________.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. Don't do anything ________________.
  15. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  16. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  17. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  18. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  19. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  20. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. track — a path
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. leaves — to go away
  6. rash — on the skin
  7. track — to keep track
  8. rush — a thrill
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. rush — hurry
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. track — a song
  14. rash — hasty
  15. leaves — lets stay
  16. rash — a series
  17. wind — moving air
  18. leaves — of a tree
  19. rush — to hurry
  20. wind — moving air
  21. cell — in biology
  22. wind — to turn a key
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. cell — a phone

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