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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  5. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  6. He is an ace ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  13. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  14. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  15. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  16. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  17. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  18. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  19. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. The ________________ went through the wall.
  22. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  23. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. fall — to drop
  5. content — the amount
  6. pitcher — in baseball
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rock — music
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. nail — on a finger
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. fall — the season
  15. track — a song
  16. content — happy
  17. track — a path
  18. track — to keep track
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. rock — a stone
  23. rock — to move gently
  24. chair — to sit on

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