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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. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  5. That was ________________ to happen.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  13. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. Don't do anything ________________.
  16. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  17. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  18. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. field — farmland
  3. rash — a series
  4. kick — a thrill
  5. bound — certain
  6. field — a subject
  7. pit — a hole
  8. shower — rain
  9. pit — in a race
  10. staff — employees
  11. bound — obliged
  12. rash — on the skin
  13. shower — a meteor shower
  14. shower — to wash
  15. rash — hasty
  16. staff — a stick
  17. bound — tied together
  18. field — for sport
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. kick — in football
  22. staff — employees
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. trunk — of a car

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