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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. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  5. You don't need to ________________ round.
  6. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. We're almost out of ________________.
  9. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  10. When will it ________________ you to start?
  11. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  14. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  15. My father caught me by the ________________.
  16. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  19. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  20. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  23. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  24. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — after costs
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. deal — to handle
  5. pop — to visit
  6. net — in sport
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pop — soda
  9. perch — for a bird
  10. suit — to fit
  11. deal — an agreement
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. perch — for a bird
  14. pop — music
  15. arm — part of the body
  16. deal — a big deal
  17. net — for catching
  18. arm — a part of something
  19. wound — an injury
  20. suit — clothes
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. wound — past of 'wind'
  23. perch — the fish
  24. wound — an injury

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

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