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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  8. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  9. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  15. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  20. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  21. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  22. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  23. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  24. We have nothing to ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. scale — in music
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. branch — of a bank
  8. branch — of a tree
  9. scale — size or range
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. ball — a great time
  12. squash — the sport
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. foot — the bottom
  15. branch — a division
  16. degree — temperature
  17. scale — for weighing
  18. degree — from a university
  19. squash — to crush
  20. squash — the vegetable
  21. foot — a measure
  22. hide — animal skin
  23. degree — an amount
  24. hide — to keep secret

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