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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. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  7. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  12. It's one o'clock ________________.
  13. Where did you ________________ them?
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  16. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  17. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  18. Did you ________________ the meat?
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  22. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. sharp — with an edge
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. mug — a face
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wave — a sudden rise
  7. staff — employees
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. court — for sport
  11. season — of the year
  12. sharp — exactly
  13. mug — to rob
  14. staff — employees
  15. wave — with your hand
  16. dip — to sink
  17. staff — a stick
  18. season — to add flavour
  19. court — of a king
  20. court — of law
  21. wave — of the sea
  22. season — in sport
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. sharp — clever

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