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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. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  2. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  3. He was locked up in a ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. We're almost out of ________________.
  6. You don't need to ________________ round.
  7. He works in a ________________ mill.
  8. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  9. She's very handy with a ________________.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  12. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  16. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  17. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  20. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  21. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  22. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  23. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  24. What was your ________________ profit last year?

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

Answer key

  1. cell — in biology
  2. calf — of the leg
  3. cell — in a prison
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pop — soda
  6. pop — to visit
  7. saw — the tool
  8. pop — music
  9. saw — the tool
  10. cell — a phone
  11. saw — past of 'see'
  12. fork — a garden tool
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. fork — in a road
  16. bat — in an idiom
  17. trunk — of a car
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. net — in sport
  20. fork — to eat with
  21. net — for catching
  22. bat — the animal
  23. bat — for baseball
  24. net — after costs

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