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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Have you found your soul ________________?
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  13. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  14. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  15. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  16. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  17. I'll be taking the ________________.
  18. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. mate — a partner
  5. bound — certain
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. race — a contest
  8. race — humankind
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. mate — a friend
  11. bound — obliged
  12. mine — belonging to me
  13. bound — tied together
  14. mate — to breed
  15. mine — an explosive
  16. race — the arms race
  17. tube — the underground
  18. coach — a trainer
  19. tube — a container
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. mine — for digging
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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