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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  8. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  9. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  12. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  15. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  20. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  21. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  22. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.

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 car
  3. squash — to crush
  4. can — a tin
  5. drill — army training
  6. march — the month
  7. march — music
  8. squash — the sport
  9. tear — from crying
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. court — of law
  14. tear — from crying
  15. drill — a practice
  16. court — for sport
  17. march — the month
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. racket — a loud noise
  20. drill — the tool
  21. court — of a king
  22. can — to be able to
  23. can — a tin
  24. tear — to rip

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