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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. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  4. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  5. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  8. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. My mare is ________________ in color.
  13. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  14. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  17. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  18. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  19. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  20. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  21. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  22. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  23. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  24. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.

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

Answer key

  1. bowl — to roll
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. lie — to recline
  4. lie — an untruth
  5. bowl — a dish
  6. pitch — completely
  7. branch — of a tree
  8. bay — a part of the sea
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. bay — a horse colour
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — low music
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. straw — to clutch at straws
  17. bass — the fish
  18. pitch — a sports field
  19. branch — a division
  20. straw — dry grass
  21. straw — a straw man
  22. bowl — a football final
  23. bass — the instrument
  24. branch — of a bank

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