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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  3. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  4. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  5. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. It's one o'clock ________________.
  8. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  16. David sat on the ________________.
  17. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  18. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  19. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  20. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  21. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  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. trunk — of a car
  2. swing — in golf
  3. dip — a sauce
  4. chest — a box
  5. bore — to drill
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. sharp — exactly
  8. bore — gave birth
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. bore — to tire
  13. kick — in football
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. swing — music
  16. swing — to play on
  17. dip — to sink
  18. chest — of your body
  19. chest — of your body
  20. shower — to wash
  21. shower — rain
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. sharp — clever
  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