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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: trunk · kick · last · straw · court · bass · saw · toast

  1. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  4. He works in a ________________ mill.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  13. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  14. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  15. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  20. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. She's very handy with a ________________.
  23. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  24. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.

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

Answer key

  1. last — finally
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. bass — low music
  4. saw — the tool
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. saw — past of 'see'
  7. last — to go on
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. last — final
  12. straw — to clutch at straws
  13. bass — the instrument
  14. court — of law
  15. bass — the fish
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. kick — in football
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. toast — a drink to someone
  20. straw — a straw man
  21. court — for sport
  22. saw — the tool
  23. court — of a king
  24. toast — bread

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