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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 120 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 tickets are free of ________________.
  2. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The ball is in your ________________.
  5. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. David sat on the ________________.
  9. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  10. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  11. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. I'll be taking the ________________.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  16. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  17. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  22. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  23. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  24. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.

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

Answer key

  1. charge — a price
  2. chair — to sit on
  3. charge — electricity
  4. court — for sport
  5. track — a path
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. swing — to play on
  9. swing — in golf
  10. swing — music
  11. chair — a professorship
  12. court — of a king
  13. tube — the underground
  14. court — of law
  15. charge — in control
  16. chair — a leader
  17. stem — a stem cell
  18. tube — a container
  19. track — to keep track
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. track — a song
  22. stem — of a plant
  23. stem — to come from
  24. tube — in a tire

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