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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  3. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  4. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  8. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  9. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  10. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  11. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  12. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  13. The ball is in your ________________.
  14. Have you met the new head ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  17. My father caught me by the ________________.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  23. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  24. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. rest — a break
  3. coach — a trainer
  4. court — of a king
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. court — of law
  8. perch — for a bird
  9. rest — what's left
  10. mark — a grade
  11. coach — pulled by horses
  12. perch — the fish
  13. court — for sport
  14. coach — a trainer
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — a part of something
  17. arm — part of the body
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. mark — a trace
  20. track — to keep track
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. rest — what's left
  23. track — a song
  24. track — a path

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