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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 120 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. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  6. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  9. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  10. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  11. That was ________________ to happen.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  15. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  16. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  17. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bound — tied together
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. chair — a professorship
  6. chair — to sit on
  7. track — to keep track
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. rule — a law
  10. track — a song
  11. bound — certain
  12. mine — for digging
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. rule — to rule out
  15. bound — obliged
  16. rule — government
  17. fan — a supporter
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. mine — belonging to me
  22. chair — a leader
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. track — a path

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