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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. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  3. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  4. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  5. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Don't do anything ________________.
  8. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  9. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  12. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  16. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  17. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. kick — in football
  3. mouse — the animal
  4. degree — an amount
  5. game — a kind of play
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. rash — hasty
  8. kick — a thrill
  9. rash — a series
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. dip — to dunk
  12. mouse — the animal
  13. dip — to sink
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. game — wild animals
  16. kick — with a leg
  17. dip — a sauce
  18. game — a match
  19. rash — on the skin
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. degree — temperature
  22. toast — the most admired
  23. toast — bread
  24. degree — from a university

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