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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  14. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  15. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  20. The King held a masked ________________.
  21. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  24. The kitten curled into a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. club — a group
  3. last — finally
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. bound — certain
  6. ball — a great time
  7. bound — obliged
  8. club — for dancing
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. chair — a leader
  12. last — to go on
  13. last — final
  14. rest — what's left
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. rest — what's left
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. bound — tied together
  20. ball — a dance
  21. club — for golf
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. rest — a break
  24. ball — a round shape

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