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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. Algeria is a ________________ of gas and oil.
  5. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  10. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  11. He is an ace ________________.
  12. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  15. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  16. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. When will it ________________ you to start?
  19. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  20. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  21. I'm the one who owns all this ________________.
  22. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  23. When are we going to ________________?
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. land — a country
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. snap — to click
  7. net — for catching
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. scale — in music
  10. suit — clothes
  11. pitcher — in baseball
  12. pitcher — a jug
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. suit — in cards
  15. snap — to snap out of it
  16. net — after costs
  17. net — in sport
  18. suit — to fit
  19. vault — in gymnastics
  20. vault — an arched ceiling
  21. land — ground
  22. vault — a safe
  23. land — to come down
  24. scale — size or range

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