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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 · court · fan · charge · pit · leaves · date · track

  1. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  2. The tickets are free of ________________.
  3. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  4. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  5. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  12. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  15. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  16. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  17. Have you settled on a ________________?
  18. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  24. He keeps ________________ of his days.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — to go away
  2. charge — a price
  3. charge — electricity
  4. track — a path
  5. date — on the calendar
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. track — a song
  8. charge — in control
  9. pit — a hole
  10. court — of a king
  11. leaves — lets stay
  12. court — of law
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. fan — a supporter
  15. leaves — of a tree
  16. pit — a fruit stone
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. fan — a supporter
  19. court — for sport
  20. date — the fruit
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. fan — to cool the air
  23. pit — in a race
  24. track — to keep track

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