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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  3. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  16. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  17. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  20. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. face — to confront
  3. mine — belonging to me
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. mouse — for a computer
  6. field — for sport
  7. face — part of the head
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. mouse — the animal
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. pit — in a race
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. pitch — a sports field
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. pit — a hole
  16. field — a subject
  17. straw — dry grass
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. mine — for digging
  20. face — to point toward
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. pitch — completely
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. field — farmland

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