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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. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. That must've been a ________________.
  7. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  18. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  23. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  24. You can't go backstage without a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rush — to hurry
  5. scale — in music
  6. rush — a thrill
  7. scale — for weighing
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. bass — low music
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. scale — size or range
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. kick — in football
  14. pass — to succeed
  15. ground — a position
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. ground — the earth
  18. rush — hurry
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. ground — crushed
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. pass — to spend time
  23. bass — the fish
  24. pass — a permit

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