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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  5. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  6. The light ________________ burned out.
  7. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  8. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  16. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  17. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  18. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  19. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  20. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  21. I've got to change the light ________________.
  22. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  23. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  24. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. hide — animal skin
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. chip — for betting
  5. hide — to keep secret
  6. bulb — for light
  7. file — a document
  8. march — the month
  9. wound — an injury
  10. wound — past of 'wind'
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. march — music
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitch — completely
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. file — a line of people
  17. wound — an injury
  18. chip — in a computer
  19. pitch — a sports field
  20. pitch — a sales talk
  21. bulb — for light
  22. march — the month
  23. chip — to eat
  24. bulb — of a plant

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