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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 116 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. David sat on the ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  5. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  6. Have you found your soul ________________?
  7. The King held a masked ________________.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  15. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  16. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  20. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  21. The tickets are free of ________________.
  22. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  23. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  24. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. swing — to play on
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. ball — a great time
  5. charge — in control
  6. mate — a partner
  7. ball — a dance
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. capital — a big letter
  12. swing — in golf
  13. mate — a friend
  14. swing — music
  15. mate — to breed
  16. capital — a city
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bank — for money
  20. bank — for money
  21. charge — a price
  22. charge — electricity
  23. bank — of a river
  24. capital — money

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