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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. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  2. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  3. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  7. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  12. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  13. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  17. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  21. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  24. My father caught me by the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. arm — part of the body
  2. prune — to trim
  3. prune — to trim
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. prune — the fruit
  7. face — to point toward
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pit — a hole
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. pit — a fruit stone
  12. object — a thing
  13. arm — a part of something
  14. face — to confront
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. kick — in football
  17. object — to protest
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. rash — a series
  20. object — an aim
  21. face — part of the head
  22. pit — in a race
  23. rash — on the skin
  24. arm — part of the body

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