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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  7. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  16. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  17. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  20. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. You don't need to ________________ round.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. net — in sport
  4. suit — in cards
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. squash — to crush
  7. straw — a straw man
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. pop — soda
  10. suit — to fit
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. net — after costs
  13. mate — a friend
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. squash — the sport
  16. straw — dry grass
  17. suit — clothes
  18. mate — a partner
  19. straw — to clutch at straws
  20. mate — to breed
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. pop — music
  23. net — for catching
  24. pop — to visit

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