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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. My mare is ________________ in color.
  2. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. The ________________ took off on time.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  10. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  11. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  20. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  23. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  24. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. bay — a horse colour
  2. season — of the year
  3. pitch — completely
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. shower — rain
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. plane — an aircraft
  8. plane — a tool
  9. calf — a young animal
  10. plane — in geometry
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. field — for sport
  13. season — in sport
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. shower — to wash
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. bay — a part of the sea
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. calf — of the leg
  20. field — a subject
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. pitch — a sales talk
  23. shower — a meteor shower
  24. field — farmland

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