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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. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Don't do anything ________________.
  5. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  12. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  13. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  14. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  15. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  16. He is an ace ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  20. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  21. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  22. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  23. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. can — a tin
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. rash — hasty
  5. pound — for dogs
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. pitcher — a jug
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. rash — a series
  11. pitcher — a jug
  12. pound — to hit hard
  13. can — to be able to
  14. can — a tin
  15. arm — a part of something
  16. pitcher — in baseball
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. bat — the animal
  19. chair — to sit on
  20. chair — a leader
  21. pound — a weight
  22. bat — in an idiom
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — on the skin

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