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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. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  2. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  3. Did you ________________ the meat?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  8. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  9. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  10. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  11. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. What do you think of the new ________________?
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  18. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  19. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  20. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cabinet — ministers
  2. wax — for sculpting
  3. season — to add flavour
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pitch — a sports field
  6. season — of the year
  7. wax — to grow
  8. calf — of the leg
  9. cabinet — a cupboard
  10. season — in sport
  11. wax — in the ear
  12. chest — a box
  13. cabinet — ministers
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chip — in a computer
  18. chip — to eat
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. calf — a young animal
  21. chest — of your body
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. chip — for betting
  24. chest — of your body

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