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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  5. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  10. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  11. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  12. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  13. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  14. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  15. I'll be taking the ________________.
  16. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  19. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. season — in sport
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. staff — a stick
  5. kid — child
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. fine — high quality
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. tube — in a tire
  10. kid — to tease
  11. fine — a penalty
  12. staff — employees
  13. calf — a young animal
  14. calf — a young animal
  15. tube — the underground
  16. mouse — the animal
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. mouse — the animal
  19. tube — a container
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. fine — all right
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. season — of the year
  24. staff — employees

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