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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. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  9. He has no idea where the ________________ is.
  10. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  11. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  14. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  19. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  20. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  21. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  22. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  23. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  24. Is it ________________ for us to be here?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. fork — in a road
  6. wound — past of 'wind'
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. safe — out of danger
  9. safe — a strongbox
  10. wound — an injury
  11. fork — to eat with
  12. kid — to tease
  13. rest — a break
  14. rest — what's left
  15. pitch — completely
  16. kid — child
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. rest — what's left
  19. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  20. jam — to spread on bread
  21. fork — a garden tool
  22. jam — in traffic
  23. wound — an injury
  24. safe — out of danger

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