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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 116 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. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  7. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  10. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. The ball is in your ________________.
  15. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  18. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  19. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  20. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  21. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. scale — size or range
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. charge — a price
  6. charge — in control
  7. cue — a hint
  8. cue — for pool
  9. coach — a trainer
  10. straw — dry grass
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. snap — to click
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. court — for sport
  15. cue — a signal
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. charge — electricity
  18. straw — a straw man
  19. scale — in music
  20. court — of law
  21. straw — to clutch at straws
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. court — of a king
  24. trunk — of a tree

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