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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  3. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  4. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. We're almost out of ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. You don't need to ________________ round.
  10. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  11. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  12. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  18. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  19. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  24. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. chair — a professorship
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. fan — to cool the air
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pop — soda
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. pop — music
  9. pop — to visit
  10. chair — a leader
  11. perch — the fish
  12. degree — from a university
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. perch — for a bird
  15. season — in sport
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — an amount
  19. fan — a supporter
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — of the year
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. degree — temperature
  24. chair — to sit on

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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