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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 tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  14. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. The beginning of a sentence starts with a ________________ letter.
  17. A second agreement was made due to the large amount of available ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. Beijing is the ________________ of China.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. bat — in an idiom
  3. wound — an injury
  4. bat — the animal
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. net — for catching
  7. wound — an injury
  8. season — in sport
  9. rest — what's left
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. bay — to keep at bay
  12. net — after costs
  13. net — in sport
  14. rest — a break
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. capital — a big letter
  17. capital — money
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. bay — a part of the sea
  20. rest — what's left
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. season — of the year
  23. capital — a city
  24. bat — for baseball

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