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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  4. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. David sat on the ________________.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. The King held a masked ________________.
  10. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  11. What do you think of the new ________________?
  12. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  13. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  16. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  17. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  18. Have you met the new head ________________?
  19. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  23. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  24. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. bat — for baseball
  4. swing — music
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. swing — to play on
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. ball — a dance
  10. cabinet — ministers
  11. cabinet — ministers
  12. stick — a piece of wood
  13. hide — animal skin
  14. bat — the animal
  15. bat — in an idiom
  16. ball — a great time
  17. ball — a round shape
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. cabinet — a cupboard
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. swing — in golf
  23. stick — a piece of wood
  24. stick — to attach or keep to

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