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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. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  12. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  16. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  17. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  18. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  21. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  22. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  23. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  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 tree
  2. game — a match
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. game — wild animals
  6. swing — to play on
  7. swing — in golf
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. foot — a measure
  10. rest — what's left
  11. firm — steady
  12. rest — a break
  13. track — a song
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. track — a path
  16. track — to keep track
  17. mine — an explosive
  18. swing — music
  19. mine — for digging
  20. game — a kind of play
  21. rest — what's left
  22. firm — decided
  23. firm — a company
  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