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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. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  5. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  6. My mare is ________________ in color.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  15. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  20. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. I'll be taking the ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — to keep at bay
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. mark — a grade
  5. lash — to lash out
  6. bay — a horse colour
  7. pitch — completely
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. field — for sport
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. field — farmland
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. bat — in an idiom
  15. lash — an eyelash
  16. tube — a container
  17. bat — for baseball
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. mark — to pay attention
  20. mark — a trace
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. tube — the underground
  23. field — a subject
  24. bat — the animal

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