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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. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  3. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  4. The water is too ________________.
  5. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  6. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  7. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  16. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  17. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  18. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  19. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. David sat on the ________________.
  22. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. She got the top ________________ in the exam.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. mark — to pay attention
  3. toast — the most admired
  4. cold — not warm
  5. deal — an agreement
  6. deal — a big deal
  7. toast — a drink to someone
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. cold — an illness
  10. lie — to recline
  11. toast — bread
  12. swing — in golf
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. swing — music
  15. mark — a trace
  16. cold — the Cold War
  17. lie — an untruth
  18. deal — to handle
  19. lie — an untruth
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. swing — to play on
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. mark — a grade

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