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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. We're on a ________________ here.
  2. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The light ________________ burned out.
  9. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. Did you ________________ the meat?
  12. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  15. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  19. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  20. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  21. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  22. I've got to change the light ________________.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.

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

Answer key

  1. roll — on a roll
  2. chest — of your body
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. patient — a sick person
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. bulb — for light
  9. roll — a cake
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. season — to add flavour
  12. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. roll — a list
  15. chest — a box
  16. season — in sport
  17. chest — of your body
  18. kid — to tease
  19. kid — child
  20. season — of the year
  21. bulb — of a plant
  22. bulb — for light
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. pitch — completely

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