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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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  3. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  4. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  5. He is an ace ________________.
  6. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  11. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  12. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  13. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  14. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  22. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. He hit the ball with his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. current — happening now
  3. cell — a phone
  4. racket — a loud noise
  5. pitcher — in baseball
  6. degree — from a university
  7. current — of water
  8. firm — decided
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. perch — for a bird
  12. perch — for a bird
  13. perch — the fish
  14. cell — in biology
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. firm — a company
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. firm — steady
  19. current — electric
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. degree — an amount
  22. degree — temperature
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. racket — for tennis

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