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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: club · last · file · fine · court · face · root · trunk

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  3. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  4. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  5. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  6. False peace will not ________________.
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  9. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  10. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  11. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  16. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  21. The ball is in your ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  24. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. fine — a penalty
  3. face — to confront
  4. face — to point toward
  5. club — for dancing
  6. last — to go on
  7. fine — high quality
  8. court — of law
  9. last — finally
  10. root — the cause
  11. court — of a king
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. club — for golf
  14. club — a group
  15. file — a tool
  16. face — part of the head
  17. fine — all right
  18. file — a document
  19. last — final
  20. root — of a plant
  21. court — for sport
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. file — a line of people
  24. root — of a word

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