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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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468
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: trunk · stick · game · bass · current · chair · face · kick

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  3. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  4. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  5. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  10. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  11. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  12. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  13. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  14. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  15. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  19. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  20. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  24. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. stick — a piece of wood
  3. chair — a leader
  4. chair — to sit on
  5. current — electric
  6. kick — in football
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. kick — a thrill
  10. stick — a piece of wood
  11. bass — low music
  12. bass — the fish
  13. face — part of the head
  14. current — of water
  15. bass — the instrument
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. game — a match
  18. face — to confront
  19. kick — with a leg
  20. current — happening now
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. game — wild animals
  23. face — to point toward
  24. chair — a professorship

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