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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: shower · race · cell · swing · roll · leaves · chair · trunk

  1. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  2. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  10. We're on a ________________ here.
  11. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  14. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  15. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  16. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  19. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  20. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  21. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  22. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  23. David sat on the ________________.
  24. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.

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

Answer key

  1. chair — a leader
  2. cell — a phone
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. shower — rain
  6. race — the arms race
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. shower — to wash
  10. roll — on a roll
  11. race — humankind
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. leaves — to go away
  14. roll — a cake
  15. chair — a professorship
  16. swing — music
  17. cell — in biology
  18. roll — a list
  19. swing — in golf
  20. leaves — lets stay
  21. chair — to sit on
  22. leaves — of a tree
  23. swing — to play on
  24. race — a contest

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