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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  11. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  12. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  13. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  18. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  19. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  20. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  21. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  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 a car
  2. cell — a phone
  3. band — a ring
  4. court — of law
  5. court — of a king
  6. drill — army training
  7. tear — from crying
  8. band — a music group
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. band — a rubber band
  11. cell — in biology
  12. drill — a practice
  13. drill — the tool
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. court — for sport
  16. club — for golf
  17. trunk — of an elephant
  18. club — a group
  19. club — for dancing
  20. tear — from crying
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. cell — in a prison
  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