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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. Have you settled on a ________________?
  7. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  13. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  14. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  15. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  16. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  17. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  24. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. staff — a stick
  4. date — the fruit
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. date — on the calendar
  7. mark — to pay attention
  8. march — the month
  9. staff — employees
  10. mark — a trace
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. jam — in traffic
  13. root — the cause
  14. jam — a tight spot
  15. root — of a word
  16. cap — a hat
  17. root — of a plant
  18. march — the month
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. staff — employees
  21. march — music
  22. mark — a grade
  23. cap — of ice
  24. cap — a lid

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