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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  4. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  9. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  10. The ball is in your ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  13. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  17. Have you met the new head ________________?
  18. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  19. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  20. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  21. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  22. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. track — a path
  4. court — of law
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. bank — for money
  8. bank — for money
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. court — for sport
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. court — of a king
  13. track — to keep track
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. bank — of a river
  17. coach — a trainer
  18. track — a song
  19. coach — pulled by horses
  20. bat — for baseball
  21. shower — a meteor shower
  22. shower — to wash
  23. bat — the animal
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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