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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 120 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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  14. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. He is an ace ________________.
  18. My father caught me by the ________________.
  19. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  20. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  23. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  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 a tree
  2. net — after costs
  3. staff — a stick
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. stick — a piece of wood
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. net — in sport
  9. squash — to crush
  10. staff — employees
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. net — for catching
  13. squash — the vegetable
  14. squash — the sport
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. rock — a stone
  17. pitcher — in baseball
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. rock — music
  20. stick — to attach or keep to
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. pitcher — a jug
  23. staff — employees
  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