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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The ball is in your ________________.
  4. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  7. I can't ________________ this cold.
  8. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  9. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  10. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  18. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  22. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. court — for sport
  4. mark — to pay attention
  5. last — finally
  6. wind — moving air
  7. stand — to bear
  8. stand — for spectators
  9. last — final
  10. march — music
  11. court — of law
  12. charge — a price
  13. stand — on your feet
  14. mark — a trace
  15. court — of a king
  16. last — to go on
  17. mark — a grade
  18. charge — electricity
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. march — the month
  22. wind — moving air
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. charge — in control

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