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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. When was this ________________ built?
  5. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  8. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  9. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  16. Have you met the new head ________________?
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  20. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  21. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  22. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. We were using a ________________ as a seat.

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

Answer key

  1. kid — to tease
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. temple — a place of worship
  5. rock — to move gently
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. temple — a place of worship
  8. temple — side of the head
  9. rock — music
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. mark — a trace
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. fork — a garden tool
  16. coach — a trainer
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. leaves — to go away
  20. mark — a grade
  21. fork — in a road
  22. kid — child
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. rock — a stone

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