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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 knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Have you settled on a ________________?
  5. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  6. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  7. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  10. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  11. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  12. We're on a ________________ here.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  19. The King held a masked ________________.
  20. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  23. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  24. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. club — a group
  6. ball — a round shape
  7. bank — of a river
  8. court — of law
  9. sharp — clever
  10. date — on the calendar
  11. roll — a list
  12. roll — on a roll
  13. club — for golf
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. bank — for money
  17. club — for dancing
  18. date — the fruit
  19. ball — a dance
  20. court — of a king
  21. court — for sport
  22. bank — for money
  23. roll — a cake
  24. ball — a great time

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