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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 116 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. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  4. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  5. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  6. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  7. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  12. The ball is in your ________________.
  13. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  18. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  19. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  20. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  21. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  22. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. band — a ring
  4. firm — decided
  5. court — of a king
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. snap — to snap out of it
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. degree — temperature
  12. court — for sport
  13. snap — to speak sharply
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. firm — a company
  17. court — of law
  18. snap — to click
  19. degree — an amount
  20. firm — steady
  21. degree — from a university
  22. coach — pulled by horses
  23. band — a music group
  24. hide — animal skin

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