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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 116 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. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  3. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  4. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  5. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  13. The ________________ went through the wall.
  14. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  15. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  16. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  19. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  20. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  21. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  24. Let us try to swim against the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. nail — on a finger
  3. net — after costs
  4. nail — for a hammer
  5. bass — low music
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. net — in sport
  8. coach — a trainer
  9. current — electric
  10. bass — the fish
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. file — a tool
  13. nail — for a hammer
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. coach — pulled by horses
  16. bass — the instrument
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. file — a document
  19. current — happening now
  20. file — a line of people
  21. calf — of the leg
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. net — for catching
  24. current — of water

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