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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. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  6. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  7. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  8. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  21. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. club — for golf
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — for a bird
  6. kick — a thrill
  7. perch — for a bird
  8. rest — what's left
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. can — a tin
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. march — music
  13. can — a tin
  14. rest — what's left
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. club — a group
  17. perch — the fish
  18. can — to be able to
  19. march — the month
  20. kick — in football
  21. rest — a break
  22. club — for dancing
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. march — the month

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