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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  9. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  10. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  11. It's one o'clock ________________.
  12. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  20. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. squash — the vegetable
  4. pit — a hole
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. stick — a piece of wood
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. arm — a part of something
  9. object — a thing
  10. sharp — clever
  11. sharp — exactly
  12. object — an aim
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. squash — to crush
  16. pit — in a race
  17. stick — to attach or keep to
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. object — to protest
  20. squash — the sport
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. sharp — with an edge
  23. shower — rain
  24. trunk — of a tree

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