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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  4. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  5. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  6. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  7. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. That must've been a ________________.
  10. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  13. My father caught me by the ________________.
  14. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  15. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  16. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  17. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  23. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bore — to tire
  4. rush — hurry
  5. net — for catching
  6. bass — the instrument
  7. bound — obliged
  8. net — in sport
  9. rush — a thrill
  10. jam — a tight spot
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. bore — gave birth
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. rush — to hurry
  15. jam — in traffic
  16. bass — the fish
  17. bore — to drill
  18. bound — certain
  19. jam — to spread on bread
  20. net — after costs
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. arm — a part of something
  23. bass — low music
  24. bound — tied together

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