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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. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  6. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  9. How do you ________________ your surname?
  10. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  15. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  16. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. Have you met the new head ________________?
  21. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  24. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.

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

Answer key

  1. calf — of the leg
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. snap — to snap out of it
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. coach — pulled by horses
  6. calf — a young animal
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. toast — bread
  9. spell — letters
  10. chest — of your body
  11. snap — to click
  12. coach — a trainer
  13. spell — a short time
  14. toast — a drink to someone
  15. toast — the most admired
  16. season — in sport
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. season — of the year
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. snap — to speak sharply
  22. spell — magic
  23. chest — a box
  24. chest — of your body

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