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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 ________________ change colour in autumn.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  6. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  7. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  17. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  18. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  19. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  22. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  23. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. leaves — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. kick — a thrill
  6. arm — a part of something
  7. present — there
  8. kick — in football
  9. present — the time now
  10. chest — a box
  11. present — a gift
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. drill — a practice
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. chest — of your body
  16. drill — army training
  17. chest — of your body
  18. calf — of the leg
  19. drill — the tool
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. arm — part of the body
  22. leaves — lets stay
  23. calf — a young animal
  24. leaves — to go away

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