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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. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  8. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  9. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. The ball is in your ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  23. Where did you ________________ them?
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. clip — a video
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. court — of law
  7. march — the month
  8. mug — a cup
  9. bore — to drill
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. court — for sport
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. clip — to cut
  14. march — music
  15. clip — for paper
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. bore — to tire
  18. mug — a face
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. march — the month
  21. court — of a king
  22. jam — to spread on bread
  23. mug — to rob
  24. bore — gave birth

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