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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. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The ________________ went through the wall.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  7. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  12. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  17. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  18. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  19. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  20. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  21. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  22. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. When was this ________________ built?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. content — happy
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. bass — low music
  7. present — the time now
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. key — in music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. content — videos and posts
  12. scale — for weighing
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. key — the most important part
  17. scale — in music
  18. scale — size or range
  19. present — there
  20. present — a gift
  21. content — the amount
  22. key — for a lock
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. temple — a place of worship

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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