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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. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  5. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The ball is in your ________________.
  8. Have you met the new head ________________?
  9. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  10. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  11. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  21. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — lets stay
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. snap — to click
  5. season — in sport
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. court — for sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. row — a quarrel
  10. leaves — of a tree
  11. snap — to snap out of it
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. club — a group
  15. row — to paddle
  16. snap — to speak sharply
  17. court — of a king
  18. club — for dancing
  19. court — of law
  20. club — for golf
  21. row — a line
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. season — of the year
  24. coach — a trainer

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