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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  4. Have you met the new head ________________?
  5. It's one o'clock ________________.
  6. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  9. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  10. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  11. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  17. He was locked up in a ________________.
  18. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  19. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  20. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  23. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  24. This knife is not ________________ enough.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. coach — pulled by horses
  4. coach — a trainer
  5. sharp — exactly
  6. suit — in cards
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. field — a subject
  9. suit — clothes
  10. lie — to recline
  11. field — farmland
  12. present — there
  13. present — the time now
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. lie — an untruth
  17. cell — in a prison
  18. present — a gift
  19. coach — a trainer
  20. sharp — clever
  21. suit — to fit
  22. field — for sport
  23. cell — in biology
  24. sharp — with an edge

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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