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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  8. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  12. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  13. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  14. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  15. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  16. The King held a masked ________________.
  17. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  23. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  24. I have a corn on my right ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. perch — the fish
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. perch — for a bird
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. present — there
  7. pass — a permit
  8. foot — the bottom
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. ground — the earth
  12. leaves — lets stay
  13. leaves — of a tree
  14. pass — to spend time
  15. perch — for a bird
  16. ball — a dance
  17. ground — crushed
  18. ground — a position
  19. present — the time now
  20. foot — a measure
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. ball — a great time
  23. present — a gift
  24. foot — part of the body

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