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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. He is an ace ________________.
  2. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  3. Are you a huge ________________ of trains?
  4. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  5. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  6. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  7. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. Can you turn the ________________ on?
  11. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  12. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  18. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  19. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  20. I am not a ________________ of shrimp.
  21. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  24. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.

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

Answer key

  1. pitcher — in baseball
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. fan — a supporter
  4. bark — to shout
  5. pitcher — a jug
  6. chair — a professorship
  7. wind — moving air
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. fan — to cool the air
  11. bark — of a tree
  12. rest — what's left
  13. chair — a leader
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. chair — to sit on
  16. rest — a break
  17. bark — a dog's sound
  18. racket — for tennis
  19. rest — what's left
  20. fan — a supporter
  21. wind — to turn a key
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. racket — a loud noise
  24. wind — moving air

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