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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 120 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 surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  9. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  12. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  13. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  16. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  21. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  22. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  23. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  24. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. wave — of the sea
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. perch — the fish
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. chair — a leader
  8. foot — a measure
  9. face — part of the head
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. foot — part of the body
  12. foot — the bottom
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. face — to point toward
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. wave — a sudden rise
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. wave — with your hand
  21. pitcher — a jug
  22. chair — a professorship
  23. face — to confront
  24. perch — for a bird

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