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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. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  4. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  7. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. What do you think of the new ________________?
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  13. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  14. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  15. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  16. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  17. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. False peace will not ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. branch — of a bank
  4. last — final
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. club — a group
  7. sharp — clever
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. cabinet — ministers
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. last — finally
  13. branch — a division
  14. chair — to sit on
  15. club — for dancing
  16. branch — of a tree
  17. club — for golf
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. cabinet — ministers
  20. chair — a leader
  21. sharp — with an edge
  22. pitch — completely
  23. last — to go on
  24. trunk — of a tree

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