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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. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  3. My mare is ________________ in color.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  6. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  7. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  10. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Have you settled on a ________________?
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  19. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  20. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bay — a horse colour
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. mouse — the animal
  6. hide — animal skin
  7. vault — in gymnastics
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. vault — an arched ceiling
  10. mouse — for a computer
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. face — part of the head
  14. mouse — the animal
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. date — the fruit
  17. face — to confront
  18. vault — a safe
  19. bay — to keep at bay
  20. wind — moving air
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. face — to point toward
  23. wind — to turn a key
  24. trunk — of a tree

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