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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. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  6. The water is too ________________.
  7. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  16. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  20. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  23. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  24. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.

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. hide — to keep secret
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. toast — the most admired
  6. cold — not warm
  7. cold — an illness
  8. toast — bread
  9. tear — to rip
  10. suit — clothes
  11. cold — the Cold War
  12. spell — magic
  13. suit — to fit
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. tear — from crying
  16. tear — from crying
  17. spell — letters
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. drill — a practice
  20. drill — army training
  21. suit — in cards
  22. toast — a drink to someone
  23. spell — a short time
  24. drill — the tool

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