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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 tickets are free of ________________.
  3. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  7. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  10. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  11. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  12. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  13. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  14. Have you settled on a ________________?
  15. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  16. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  17. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  18. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  19. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  20. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  21. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  22. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. charge — a price
  3. tear — from crying
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. spring — the season
  6. court — of law
  7. chair — to sit on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. tear — from crying
  10. charge — electricity
  11. charge — in control
  12. date — on the calendar
  13. spring — a coil
  14. date — on the calendar
  15. court — of a king
  16. spring — of water
  17. date — the fruit
  18. tear — to rip
  19. mouse — for a computer
  20. chair — a professorship
  21. mouse — the animal
  22. chair — a leader
  23. court — for sport
  24. mouse — the animal

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