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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. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  2. You don't need to ________________ round.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. The tickets are free of ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  10. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  11. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  12. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  13. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  14. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. The ________________ took off on time.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  19. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  22. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  23. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  24. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hand — help
  2. pop — to visit
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. plane — a tool
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. charge — a price
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. charge — in control
  9. staff — employees
  10. stick — to attach or keep to
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. pop — music
  13. hand — in cards
  14. charge — electricity
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. plane — an aircraft
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. clip — to cut
  19. clip — for paper
  20. pop — soda
  21. staff — a stick
  22. clip — a video
  23. staff — employees
  24. plane — in geometry

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