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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 116 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. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  5. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Where did you ________________ them?
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  10. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  11. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  12. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  13. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  14. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  15. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  16. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. mark — a grade
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. hand — part of the body
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. field — for sport
  7. mug — to rob
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. mug — a face
  10. mark — to pay attention
  11. mug — a cup
  12. racket — a loud noise
  13. hand — help
  14. mine — for digging
  15. hand — in cards
  16. wound — an injury
  17. wound — an injury
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. mark — a trace
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. field — farmland
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. field — a subject
  24. trunk — of a tree

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