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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. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  4. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  5. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  8. The ball is in your ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  11. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  12. The tickets are free of ________________.
  13. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  16. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. court — of law
  3. court — of a king
  4. charge — in control
  5. fall — to drop
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. hand — in cards
  8. court — for sport
  9. fall — to drop
  10. land — ground
  11. land — a country
  12. charge — a price
  13. cue — for pool
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. charge — electricity
  16. fall — the season
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. hand — part of the body
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. hand — help
  22. cue — a hint
  23. cue — a signal
  24. land — to come down

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