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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  7. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  8. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  9. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  10. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  13. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  14. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  15. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  16. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  17. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  20. He was locked up in a ________________.
  21. When will it ________________ you to start?
  22. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. fine — a penalty
  7. current — of water
  8. cell — a phone
  9. fine — high quality
  10. field — a subject
  11. bat — the animal
  12. cell — in biology
  13. suit — clothes
  14. bat — for baseball
  15. current — electric
  16. field — farmland
  17. current — happening now
  18. field — for sport
  19. kick — in football
  20. cell — in a prison
  21. suit — to fit
  22. suit — in cards
  23. fine — all right
  24. kick — with a leg

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