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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. David sat on the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  4. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  7. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. The ball is in your ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  17. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  18. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  19. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  22. That was ________________ to happen.
  23. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. swing — to play on
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. hand — help
  4. can — a tin
  5. court — of a king
  6. swing — in golf
  7. snap — to click
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. court — for sport
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. bound — obliged
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. swing — music
  16. snap — to snap out of it
  17. can — to be able to
  18. court — of law
  19. hand — in cards
  20. bound — tied together
  21. fan — a supporter
  22. bound — certain
  23. can — a tin
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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