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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  3. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  4. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  5. I cannot shed a ________________ for that horrible man.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Drying a ________________ is more honorable than shedding torrents of blood.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. It is only in accepting others that we can ________________ down our own barriers.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  12. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. The ball is in your ________________.
  20. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  21. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  22. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. This looks like a gunshot ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bay — a horse colour
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. mouse — for a computer
  5. tear — from crying
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. tear — from crying
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. tear — to rip
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. lash — to lash out
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. court — of law
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. wound — an injury
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. court — for sport
  20. pitch — completely
  21. pitch — a sales talk
  22. court — of a king
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. wound — an injury

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