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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. I'll be taking the ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  7. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  8. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  9. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  10. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  11. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  15. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  16. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. The ball is in your ________________.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. tube — the underground
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. tube — in a tire
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. rock — to move gently
  7. tube — a container
  8. mine — belonging to me
  9. arm — part of the body
  10. mine — an explosive
  11. court — of law
  12. mine — for digging
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. rock — music
  15. rock — a stone
  16. court — of a king
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. court — for sport
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pass — to spend time
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pass — to succeed
  24. pass — a permit

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