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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've got to change the light ________________.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  8. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  11. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  12. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  13. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. When was this ________________ built?
  16. You don't need to ________________ round.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. The light ________________ burned out.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bulb — for light
  3. pop — music
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. temple — a place of worship
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. racket — a loud noise
  8. game — wild animals
  9. pop — soda
  10. net — in sport
  11. pitch — a sports field
  12. temple — side of the head
  13. net — for catching
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. temple — a place of worship
  16. pop — to visit
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bulb — for light
  19. net — after costs
  20. bulb — of a plant
  21. game — a match
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pitch — completely
  24. trunk — of a car

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