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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  3. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  6. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  7. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  8. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  14. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  15. That was a fun ________________.
  16. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  17. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  24. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. drill — a practice
  3. bowl — a dish
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. root — of a word
  6. pit — in a race
  7. fan — a supporter
  8. bowl — a football final
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. game — wild animals
  11. pit — a hole
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. game — a kind of play
  14. fan — to cool the air
  15. game — a match
  16. root — the cause
  17. chair — a leader
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. drill — army training
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. drill — the tool
  24. root — of a plant

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