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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 120 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: chair · bat · hide · court · trunk · rock · leaves · pop

  1. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  2. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  8. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  9. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  10. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  21. You don't need to ________________ round.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. The ball is in your ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. hide — to keep secret
  2. court — of law
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. chair — a professorship
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. rock — a stone
  8. bat — the animal
  9. pop — music
  10. leaves — to go away
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. rock — to move gently
  13. pop — soda
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. chair — a leader
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. court — of a king
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. rock — music
  21. pop — to visit
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. court — for sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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