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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. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. We're on a ________________ here.
  5. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  10. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  13. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  21. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  24. Check the label for the sugar ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. fine — high quality
  3. roll — a list
  4. roll — on a roll
  5. chair — to sit on
  6. content — happy
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chair — a leader
  9. fine — all right
  10. roll — a cake
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. fine — a penalty
  13. race — the arms race
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. bark — to shout
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. bore — to drill
  18. chair — a professorship
  19. bore — to tire
  20. race — humankind
  21. bore — gave birth
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. race — a contest
  24. content — the amount

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