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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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468
Word bank
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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  6. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. My father caught me by the ________________.
  12. Have you found your soul ________________?
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  21. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. mate — to breed
  3. chair — a leader
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. march — the month
  6. bark — of a tree
  7. kick — in football
  8. mate — a friend
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. swing — music
  11. arm — part of the body
  12. mate — a partner
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. swing — in golf
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. chair — to sit on
  18. bark — to shout
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — a thrill
  21. march — music
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. arm — part of the body

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