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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 116 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. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  7. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  8. Did you ________________ the meat?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  11. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  12. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Where did you ________________ them?
  15. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  16. The ________________ went through the wall.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  21. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  22. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. mug — a cup
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. season — in sport
  7. lash — a whip stroke
  8. season — to add flavour
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pitcher — a jug
  11. scale — for weighing
  12. mug — a face
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. mug — to rob
  15. scale — in music
  16. nail — for a hammer
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. season — of the year
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. lash — an eyelash
  21. nail — for a hammer
  22. lash — to lash out
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. scale — size or range

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