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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. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  3. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  4. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. ________________ games are popular in Germany.
  7. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  8. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  9. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  10. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  11. The captain is giving the order to ________________ the ship.
  12. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. My father caught me by the ________________.
  17. I'm currently on the ________________ of directors.
  18. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  19. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  20. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  21. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  22. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  23. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  24. He had ________________ pain while walking.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. cue — a hint
  3. dip — to dunk
  4. patient — calm and waiting
  5. field — for sport
  6. board — a flat piece
  7. calf — a young animal
  8. cue — a signal
  9. dip — to sink
  10. cue — for pool
  11. board — to get on
  12. arm — a part of something
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. arm — part of the body
  17. board — a committee
  18. field — farmland
  19. dip — a sauce
  20. arm — part of the body
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. field — a subject
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. calf — of the leg

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