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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  3. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  6. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  9. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  10. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  16. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  20. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  21. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  22. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  23. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  24. Don't do anything ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. scale — for weighing
  3. rash — on the skin
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. present — the time now
  6. club — for golf
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. fan — a supporter
  9. club — for dancing
  10. club — a group
  11. scale — size or range
  12. scale — in music
  13. game — a match
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. straw — a straw man
  16. fan — a supporter
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. present — there
  19. fan — to cool the air
  20. straw — to clutch at straws
  21. game — wild animals
  22. present — a gift
  23. rash — a series
  24. rash — hasty

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