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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 116 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. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  3. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  4. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  5. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  6. Have you met the new head ________________?
  7. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  8. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  9. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  10. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The ________________ went through the wall.
  13. David sat on the ________________.
  14. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  20. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  21. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  22. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  23. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  24. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. swing — music
  3. nail — on a finger
  4. net — after costs
  5. bat — for baseball
  6. coach — a trainer
  7. swing — in golf
  8. wound — past of 'wind'
  9. wound — an injury
  10. net — for catching
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. nail — for a hammer
  13. swing — to play on
  14. coach — pulled by horses
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. fine — all right
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — in an idiom
  20. coach — a trainer
  21. wound — an injury
  22. net — in sport
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. fine — high quality

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