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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 ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  6. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  9. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  15. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. toast — bread
  5. fork — a garden tool
  6. bat — for baseball
  7. pit — a hole
  8. fork — in a road
  9. toast — the most admired
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. pit — in a race
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. band — a rubber band
  15. bark — to shout
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. band — a music group
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. net — after costs
  20. net — for catching
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. bark — a dog's sound
  23. bat — the animal
  24. band — a ring

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