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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 116 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. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  4. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  5. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  8. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  9. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  14. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  20. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  21. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  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 an elephant
  2. row — a line
  3. staff — employees
  4. row — to paddle
  5. degree — an amount
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. fork — in a road
  8. fork — a garden tool
  9. ruler — a monarch
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. degree — from a university
  14. staff — employees
  15. squash — the sport
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. fork — to eat with
  18. degree — temperature
  19. pitch — completely
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. squash — the vegetable
  22. squash — to crush
  23. staff — a stick
  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