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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. That was a fun ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  4. Where did you ________________ them?
  5. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  6. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  7. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. Have you met the new head ________________?
  10. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  13. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  14. He was locked up in a ________________.
  15. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  19. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I can't ________________ this cold.
  23. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  24. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.

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

Answer key

  1. game — a match
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. scale — size or range
  4. mug — to rob
  5. stand — on your feet
  6. mug — a cup
  7. coach — a trainer
  8. game — wild animals
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. stand — for spectators
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. scale — in music
  13. wind — moving air
  14. cell — in a prison
  15. cell — in biology
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mug — a face
  18. wind — moving air
  19. cell — a phone
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stand — to bear
  23. coach — pulled by horses
  24. scale — for weighing

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