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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. The tickets are free of ________________.
  4. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  5. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  6. The ball is in your ________________.
  7. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  8. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  9. The water is too ________________.
  10. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  14. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  15. When are we going to ________________?
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  18. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  21. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  22. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — a permit
  3. charge — a price
  4. pass — to succeed
  5. pass — to spend time
  6. court — for sport
  7. cold — the Cold War
  8. charge — electricity
  9. cold — not warm
  10. charge — in control
  11. court — of a king
  12. track — a path
  13. lean — thin
  14. track — to keep track
  15. land — to come down
  16. track — a song
  17. cold — an illness
  18. land — ground
  19. court — of law
  20. lean — to rest against
  21. lean — to bend
  22. land — a country
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. trunk — of a car

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