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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. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  3. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  4. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  7. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  15. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  16. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  17. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  22. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. Have you met the new head ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. straw — to clutch at straws
  3. wake — before a funeral
  4. club — for golf
  5. fork — in a road
  6. coach — pulled by horses
  7. wake — a trail
  8. club — for dancing
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. face — part of the head
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. club — a group
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. safe — a strongbox
  15. face — to confront
  16. safe — out of danger
  17. safe — out of danger
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fork — to eat with
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. wake — to stop sleeping
  22. face — to point toward
  23. straw — a straw man
  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