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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. That was a fun ________________.
  6. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  10. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  11. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  12. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  16. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  17. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  18. 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. bowl — to roll
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. court — of a king
  5. game — a match
  6. game — wild animals
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. court — for sport
  9. cue — a signal
  10. bowl — a dish
  11. cue — a hint
  12. bass — the instrument
  13. bass — the fish
  14. court — of law
  15. cue — for pool
  16. bowl — a football final
  17. bass — low music
  18. 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