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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. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  7. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  8. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  13. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. That must've been a ________________.
  18. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  19. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  20. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  21. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. club — for dancing
  3. club — a group
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. bound — certain
  6. march — the month
  7. field — a subject
  8. field — for sport
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. march — the month
  11. court — of a king
  12. rush — to hurry
  13. court — of law
  14. court — for sport
  15. club — for golf
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. rush — a thrill
  18. bound — tied together
  19. rush — hurry
  20. bound — obliged
  21. lash — an eyelash
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. march — music
  24. field — farmland

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