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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 kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  15. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  16. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  20. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  21. My father caught me by the ________________.
  22. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. scale — for weighing
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. stand — to bear
  4. lean — thin
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. scale — in music
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. mine — an explosive
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. arm — a part of something
  11. court — of law
  12. court — for sport
  13. court — of a king
  14. lean — to bend
  15. scale — size or range
  16. shower — to wash
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. stand — for spectators
  20. mine — for digging
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. shower — rain
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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