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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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  5. There's no middle ________________.
  6. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  7. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  8. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  9. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  10. That was ________________ to happen.
  11. Have you met the new head ________________?
  12. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  23. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ground — the earth
  5. ground — a position
  6. last — finally
  7. chair — a professorship
  8. chair — to sit on
  9. chair — a leader
  10. bound — certain
  11. coach — a trainer
  12. club — for golf
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bound — obliged
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. bound — tied together
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. club — a group
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. club — for dancing
  23. ground — crushed
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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