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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. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  2. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  3. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  6. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  12. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  13. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  14. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  15. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  16. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  17. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  18. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  21. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  22. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  23. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  24. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.

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

Answer key

  1. mine — belonging to me
  2. present — the time now
  3. chest — a box
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. bat — in an idiom
  6. present — a gift
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. mine — for digging
  9. net — in sport
  10. bat — the animal
  11. trunk — of a tree
  12. net — for catching
  13. prune — to trim
  14. prune — the fruit
  15. chest — of your body
  16. pound — a weight
  17. pound — to hit hard
  18. present — there
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. net — after costs
  21. chest — of your body
  22. prune — to trim
  23. mine — an explosive
  24. pound — for dogs

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