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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  6. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  7. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  8. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  12. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  13. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  14. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. squash — the sport
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. jam — in traffic
  6. fall — to drop
  7. rule — to rule out
  8. fall — to drop
  9. squash — to crush
  10. court — of a king
  11. squash — the vegetable
  12. rule — a law
  13. band — a music group
  14. rule — government
  15. band — a ring
  16. jam — a tight spot
  17. ball — a great time
  18. band — a rubber band
  19. court — for sport
  20. ball — a dance
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. fall — the season
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. court — of law

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