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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  4. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  5. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  8. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. Have you met the new head ________________?
  13. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  14. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  17. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  18. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  21. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  22. The King held a masked ________________.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. kid — child
  4. hand — in cards
  5. ball — a round shape
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. straw — dry grass
  8. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. coach — a trainer
  11. ball — a great time
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. hand — part of the body
  14. kid — to tease
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. straw — a straw man
  17. kick — in football
  18. dip — to sink
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. hand — help
  21. dip — a sauce
  22. ball — a dance
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. coach — pulled by horses

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