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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  3. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  4. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He is an ace ________________.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. We're on a ________________ here.
  20. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  23. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fan — a supporter
  3. roll — a list
  4. chair — a leader
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. pitcher — in baseball
  8. kick — in football
  9. court — for sport
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. roll — a cake
  17. object — an aim
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. roll — on a roll
  20. object — to protest
  21. court — of a king
  22. object — a thing
  23. fan — to cool the air
  24. kick — with a leg

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