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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 120 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. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  2. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Did you ________________ the meat?
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  19. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  20. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.

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

Answer key

  1. pitch — a sales talk
  2. coach — pulled by horses
  3. pitch — completely
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. file — a tool
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. season — to add flavour
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. bore — gave birth
  14. foot — a measure
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. bore — to drill
  18. file — a line of people
  19. bore — to tire
  20. file — a document
  21. season — in sport
  22. season — of the year
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. coach — a trainer

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