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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. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Have you met the new head ________________?
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  6. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  7. I've got to change the light ________________.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  10. The light ________________ burned out.
  11. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  12. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  13. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  14. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  18. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  21. He is an ace ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. I can't ________________ this cold.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — pulled by horses
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. file — a document
  6. file — a tool
  7. bulb — for light
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. straw — dry grass
  10. bulb — for light
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. file — a line of people
  13. racket — a loud noise
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. straw — to clutch at straws
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. racket — for tennis
  21. pitcher — in baseball
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. stand — to bear
  24. bulb — of a plant

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