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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. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  8. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. The ________________ went through the wall.
  16. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  17. You don't need to ________________ round.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  20. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. We're almost out of ________________.
  23. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  24. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.

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

Answer key

  1. wake — before a funeral
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. degree — from a university
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. leaves — lets stay
  8. degree — temperature
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. pit — a hole
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. pop — music
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. pop — to visit
  18. pit — in a race
  19. leaves — of a tree
  20. degree — an amount
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. pop — soda
  23. nail — on a finger
  24. wake — a trail

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