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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  3. David sat on the ________________.
  4. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.
  5. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  6. There's no middle ________________.
  7. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  8. My father caught me by the ________________.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. The function of the ________________ is to provide the common people with facts.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Manchester University ________________ is the university's academic publishing house.
  24. Did you ________________ the button?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pitch — completely
  3. swing — to play on
  4. firm — steady
  5. arm — a part of something
  6. ground — a position
  7. firm — a company
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. ground — the earth
  10. pitch — a sales talk
  11. ground — crushed
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. firm — decided
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. press — newspapers
  16. swing — in golf
  17. swing — music
  18. game — a match
  19. arm — part of the body
  20. game — wild animals
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. press — a publisher
  24. press — to push

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