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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  11. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  14. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  15. I can't ________________ this cold.
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pound — to hit hard
  3. scale — size or range
  4. fine — all right
  5. court — of a king
  6. pound — a weight
  7. file — a tool
  8. court — of law
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. fine — a penalty
  11. stand — on your feet
  12. track — to keep track
  13. fine — high quality
  14. file — a document
  15. stand — to bear
  16. file — a line of people
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. scale — in music
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. scale — for weighing
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. track — a path
  23. track — a song
  24. court — for sport

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