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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. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The ________________ went through the wall.
  4. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  10. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  11. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  17. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  18. It's one o'clock ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  23. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  24. The ball is in your ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pound — to hit hard
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. nail — for a hammer
  4. pitch — completely
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pound — a weight
  7. season — of the year
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. pitch — a sales talk
  10. squash — the vegetable
  11. sharp — clever
  12. squash — the sport
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. court — of a king
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. pound — for dogs
  17. pitch — a sports field
  18. sharp — exactly
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. season — in sport
  22. squash — to crush
  23. court — of law
  24. court — for sport

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