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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. That was ________________ to happen.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Have you met the new head ________________?
  8. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  9. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  10. It's one o'clock ________________.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  15. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  16. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  19. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bound — certain
  3. net — in sport
  4. mine — for digging
  5. bound — obliged
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. net — after costs
  9. net — for catching
  10. sharp — exactly
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. toast — a drink to someone
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. sharp — with an edge
  15. chip — for betting
  16. toast — the most admired
  17. bound — tied together
  18. sharp — clever
  19. toast — bread
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. chip — to eat
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. mine — belonging to me

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