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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. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  6. We're on a ________________ here.
  7. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  10. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  11. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  12. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  13. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  14. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  15. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  16. Grandma has made a Swiss ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. The teacher called the ________________ to see who was absent.
  23. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  24. I would like to have a ________________ here.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. net — after costs
  5. clip — for paper
  6. roll — on a roll
  7. net — in sport
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. clip — a video
  10. rest — what's left
  11. rock — music
  12. calf — a young animal
  13. rock — a stone
  14. rock — to move gently
  15. calf — of the leg
  16. roll — a cake
  17. ball — a great time
  18. ball — a round shape
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. net — for catching
  21. ball — a dance
  22. roll — a list
  23. clip — to cut
  24. rest — a break

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