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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  7. Did you ________________ the meat?
  8. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  9. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. He is an ace ________________.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  17. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  18. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  23. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. face — to point toward
  3. face — part of the head
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. lean — to bend
  7. season — to add flavour
  8. rock — to move gently
  9. season — of the year
  10. chest — a box
  11. rock — music
  12. pitcher — in baseball
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. season — in sport
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. lean — thin
  17. face — to confront
  18. lean — to rest against
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. chest — of your body
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. chest — of your body
  23. rock — a stone
  24. kick — in football

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