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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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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 · chair · pound · kick · cabinet · saw · club · chest

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  3. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  4. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  5. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  6. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  13. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  14. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  18. She's very handy with a ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  21. He works in a ________________ mill.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. What do you think of the new ________________?
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. club — for dancing
  3. chest — of your body
  4. pound — a weight
  5. chest — a box
  6. cabinet — ministers
  7. kick — in football
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. saw — past of 'see'
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. chair — to sit on
  13. cabinet — a cupboard
  14. pound — to hit hard
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. club — for golf
  17. pound — for dogs
  18. saw — the tool
  19. chest — of your body
  20. club — a group
  21. saw — the tool
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. cabinet — ministers
  24. kick — a thrill

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