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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 120 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  5. He works in a ________________ mill.
  6. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  14. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  15. She's very handy with a ________________.
  16. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  17. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  21. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  22. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. fan — a supporter
  5. saw — the tool
  6. patient — calm and waiting
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fan — a supporter
  10. degree — temperature
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. saw — past of 'see'
  14. pass — a permit
  15. saw — the tool
  16. patient — a sick person
  17. perch — for a bird
  18. degree — from a university
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. fan — to cool the air
  21. patient — a sick person
  22. perch — the fish
  23. pitch — completely
  24. degree — an amount

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