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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: mug · cold · trunk · suit · court · net · wake · jam

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  3. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  4. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  5. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  6. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  7. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  8. Where did you ________________ them?
  9. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  10. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  11. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  12. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. When will it ________________ you to start?
  15. The ball is in your ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  19. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The water is too ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. wake — a trail
  3. jam — in traffic
  4. cold — an illness
  5. mug — a cup
  6. wake — to stop sleeping
  7. wake — before a funeral
  8. mug — to rob
  9. jam — to spread on bread
  10. suit — in cards
  11. net — for catching
  12. jam — a tight spot
  13. net — in sport
  14. suit — to fit
  15. court — for sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. net — after costs
  18. mug — a face
  19. suit — clothes
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. cold — the Cold War
  22. court — of a king
  23. court — of law
  24. cold — not warm

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