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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 116 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 players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  8. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  11. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. The tickets are free of ________________.
  20. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  21. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  24. He's taking a ________________ right now.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. pitch — completely
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. bound — tied together
  7. dip — to sink
  8. cap — of ice
  9. bound — certain
  10. bound — obliged
  11. charge — electricity
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. charge — in control
  17. shower — rain
  18. cap — a lid
  19. charge — a price
  20. cap — a hat
  21. dip — to dunk
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. last — final
  24. shower — to wash

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