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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 116 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. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. My mare is ________________ in color.
  6. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  7. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  12. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  16. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  17. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  18. David sat on the ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  21. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  22. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  23. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. swing — in golf
  3. bay — to keep at bay
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bay — a horse colour
  6. wound — an injury
  7. rule — a law
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. swing — music
  10. bass — the fish
  11. wound — an injury
  12. bay — a part of the sea
  13. hand — help
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. hand — part of the body
  16. bass — low music
  17. rule — to rule out
  18. swing — to play on
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. hand — in cards
  21. row — to paddle
  22. row — a line
  23. row — a quarrel
  24. rule — government

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