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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  10. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  11. My mare is ________________ in color.
  12. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  13. We're on a ________________ here.
  14. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  15. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  16. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  17. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  18. False peace will not ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  23. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  24. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. kick — in football
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. roll — a cake
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. chest — of your body
  6. bay — to keep at bay
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. pass — to spend time
  10. bark — a dog's sound
  11. bay — a horse colour
  12. chest — a box
  13. roll — on a roll
  14. last — final
  15. kick — with a leg
  16. roll — a list
  17. pass — a permit
  18. last — to go on
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. bark — to shout
  22. bay — a part of the sea
  23. last — finally
  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