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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  5. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  10. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  11. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  14. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  15. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  16. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  17. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  18. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  19. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  20. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  21. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  22. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  23. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  24. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. tube — a container
  5. pitch — completely
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. pitch — a sales talk
  8. tube — the underground
  9. dip — to dunk
  10. degree — from a university
  11. chest — a box
  12. chest — of your body
  13. chest — of your body
  14. degree — an amount
  15. chip — to eat
  16. dip — a sauce
  17. lash — a whip stroke
  18. tube — in a tire
  19. dip — to sink
  20. chip — for betting
  21. degree — temperature
  22. chip — in a computer
  23. lash — an eyelash
  24. lash — to lash out

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