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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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  3. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  4. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. How do you ________________ your surname?
  8. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  11. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  12. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  13. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Have you met the new head ________________?
  16. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  17. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  20. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  21. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  22. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  23. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  24. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. racket — for tennis
  3. kid — to tease
  4. deal — an agreement
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. spell — letters
  8. spell — magic
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. calf — a young animal
  11. racket — for tennis
  12. kid — child
  13. deal — a big deal
  14. spell — a short time
  15. coach — a trainer
  16. foot — a measure
  17. racket — a loud noise
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. foot — part of the body
  20. coach — pulled by horses
  21. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  22. deal — to handle
  23. coach — a trainer
  24. foot — the bottom

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