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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  3. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  4. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  5. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  8. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  9. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  14. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  15. The ________________ took off on time.
  16. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  17. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  18. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  19. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  20. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  21. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  22. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  23. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  24. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — a permit
  3. fork — to eat with
  4. squash — the sport
  5. scale — for weighing
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. pass — to spend time
  8. content — happy
  9. squash — the vegetable
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — in geometry
  12. field — for sport
  13. field — a subject
  14. fork — a garden tool
  15. plane — an aircraft
  16. content — the amount
  17. plane — a tool
  18. content — videos and posts
  19. pass — to succeed
  20. squash — to crush
  21. scale — size or range
  22. fork — in a road
  23. field — farmland
  24. scale — in music

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