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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  5. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  10. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  11. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  12. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  13. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  14. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  15. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  23. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  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. calf — of the leg
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. wake — before a funeral
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. fork — in a road
  9. wake — to stop sleeping
  10. bass — the instrument
  11. fork — a garden tool
  12. wake — a trail
  13. bass — the fish
  14. march — music
  15. fork — to eat with
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. march — the month
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. bass — low music
  23. march — the month
  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