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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  6. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  9. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  10. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  11. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  12. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  13. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  14. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  20. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  23. He is an ace ________________.
  24. David sat on the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. race — a contest
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. swing — music
  6. lean — thin
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. race — humankind
  9. pitcher — a jug
  10. can — to be able to
  11. swing — in golf
  12. content — the amount
  13. lean — to rest against
  14. race — the arms race
  15. pitch — completely
  16. pitcher — a jug
  17. can — a tin
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. content — happy
  20. can — a tin
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. lean — to bend
  23. pitcher — in baseball
  24. swing — to play on

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