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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  7. You don't need to ________________ round.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  11. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  12. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  13. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. We're almost out of ________________.
  21. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  22. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. net — in sport
  3. net — for catching
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. chip — in a computer
  7. pop — to visit
  8. march — music
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. bat — for baseball
  11. net — after costs
  12. coach — pulled by horses
  13. club — a group
  14. club — for golf
  15. chip — to eat
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. chip — for betting
  18. march — the month
  19. bat — the animal
  20. pop — soda
  21. club — for dancing
  22. coach — a trainer
  23. march — the month
  24. pop — music

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