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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  7. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  12. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  15. The ________________ market has crashed.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. What's the difference between broth and ________________?
  18. We're on a ________________ here.
  19. The supermarket has a large ________________ of merchandise.
  20. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  23. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  24. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. fork — a garden tool
  3. roll — a cake
  4. bat — in an idiom
  5. fork — in a road
  6. roll — a list
  7. hide — to keep secret
  8. dip — to sink
  9. hide — to keep secret
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. degree — from a university
  12. degree — temperature
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. bat — the animal
  15. stock — shares
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stock — a soup base
  18. roll — on a roll
  19. stock — goods
  20. dip — a sauce
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. degree — an amount
  23. dip — to dunk
  24. fork — to eat with

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