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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Have you found your soul ________________?
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  11. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  12. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  13. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  14. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  15. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  16. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  17. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. The ball is in your ________________.
  23. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  24. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. mate — a partner
  3. content — happy
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. court — of law
  6. content — the amount
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. cue — a hint
  11. fine — high quality
  12. mate — to breed
  13. fine — a penalty
  14. mate — a friend
  15. prune — the fruit
  16. cue — for pool
  17. prune — to trim
  18. prune — to trim
  19. chair — a professorship
  20. fine — all right
  21. court — of a king
  22. court — for sport
  23. cue — a signal
  24. content — videos and posts

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