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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  3. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  6. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  7. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  8. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  15. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  24. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. file — a document
  3. current — of water
  4. present — a gift
  5. present — there
  6. shower — to wash
  7. shower — rain
  8. court — of a king
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. club — for golf
  11. present — the time now
  12. file — a tool
  13. fine — high quality
  14. shower — a meteor shower
  15. fine — a penalty
  16. club — for dancing
  17. file — a line of people
  18. court — of law
  19. current — electric
  20. court — for sport
  21. fine — all right
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. club — a group
  24. current — happening now

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