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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  5. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  6. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  7. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  8. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  13. When are we going to ________________?
  14. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  17. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. The ball is in your ________________.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. toast — a drink to someone
  5. mine — an explosive
  6. land — a country
  7. foot — part of the body
  8. cue — a hint
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. mine — for digging
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. cue — for pool
  13. land — to come down
  14. kick — in football
  15. court — of law
  16. cue — a signal
  17. kick — with a leg
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. toast — bread
  20. court — for sport
  21. land — ground
  22. foot — a measure
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — the most admired

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