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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. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  4. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  5. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  6. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  7. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  10. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  13. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. The King held a masked ________________.
  18. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  19. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  20. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  21. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  22. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  23. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  24. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.

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

Answer key

  1. squash — the sport
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. leaves — to go away
  4. track — a song
  5. chest — of your body
  6. leaves — of a tree
  7. track — to keep track
  8. ball — a great time
  9. chest — a box
  10. chest — of your body
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. track — a path
  13. squash — to crush
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. ball — a dance
  18. squash — the vegetable
  19. chip — for betting
  20. trunk — of a car
  21. chip — in a computer
  22. ball — a round shape
  23. chair — a leader
  24. chip — to eat

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