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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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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: present · trunk · scale · bat · fan · ground · court · race

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  3. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  6. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  12. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  13. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  14. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  15. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  16. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  19. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  20. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  21. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  22. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. present — there
  3. present — a gift
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. race — humankind
  6. race — the arms race
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. bat — in an idiom
  9. ground — a position
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. fan — to cool the air
  12. present — the time now
  13. fan — a supporter
  14. scale — in music
  15. bat — for baseball
  16. ground — the earth
  17. court — for sport
  18. ground — crushed
  19. court — of a king
  20. bat — the animal
  21. race — a contest
  22. fan — a supporter
  23. court — of law
  24. scale — size or range

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