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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. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  6. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  7. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  15. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  16. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  17. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  21. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rush — hurry
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. march — music
  6. content — happy
  7. club — a group
  8. club — for dancing
  9. season — of the year
  10. content — the amount
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. chest — of your body
  13. season — in sport
  14. club — for golf
  15. march — the month
  16. content — videos and posts
  17. chest — a box
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. march — the month
  21. jam — to spread on bread
  22. chest — of your body
  23. jam — a tight spot
  24. season — to add flavour

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