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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. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. This ________________ always watches out for its own interests.
  8. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  9. I'm going to the ________________ to withdraw money.
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  15. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  16. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  19. Tiny blossoms have come out all over the river ________________.
  20. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  21. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  24. When are we going to ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kick — in football
  7. bank — for money
  8. pitch — a sales talk
  9. bank — for money
  10. chest — of your body
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitch — completely
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. chest — of your body
  15. land — a country
  16. chest — a box
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. kick — with a leg
  19. bank — of a river
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. stick — a piece of wood
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. land — ground
  24. land — to come down

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