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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 hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  8. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  9. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  10. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  13. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  14. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  19. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  20. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  23. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. mark — a trace
  2. mark — a grade
  3. kick — a thrill
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. degree — from a university
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. degree — an amount
  8. kid — child
  9. mark — to pay attention
  10. kick — with a leg
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. squash — the sport
  13. bear — to put up with
  14. squash — the vegetable
  15. spring — a coil
  16. bear — the animal
  17. squash — to crush
  18. degree — temperature
  19. bear — the animal
  20. kid — to tease
  21. spring — of water
  22. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  23. spring — the season
  24. kick — in football

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