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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  5. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  6. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  11. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  12. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  15. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  16. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The ________________ took off on time.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. net — for catching
  4. lash — to lash out
  5. present — a gift
  6. present — the time now
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. mouse — for a computer
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. pitch — a sports field
  11. pitch — a sales talk
  12. lash — an eyelash
  13. net — after costs
  14. present — there
  15. plane — in geometry
  16. bat — the animal
  17. plane — a tool
  18. trunk — of a tree
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. mouse — the animal
  21. pitch — completely
  22. mouse — the animal
  23. net — in sport
  24. plane — an aircraft

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