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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 King held a masked ________________.
  2. She got the top ________________ in the exam.
  3. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. ________________ my words: he'll be late again.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  8. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. We're almost out of ________________.
  11. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  12. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  13. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  14. The hot cup left a ________________ on the table.
  15. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  16. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  17. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  18. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  19. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  20. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  23. You don't need to ________________ round.
  24. I've got the luggage in my ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. ball — a dance
  2. mark — a grade
  3. pitch — completely
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. mark — to pay attention
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. pop — music
  8. ball — a great time
  9. hand — help
  10. pop — soda
  11. calf — a young animal
  12. bark — a dog's sound
  13. ball — a round shape
  14. mark — a trace
  15. trunk — of a tree
  16. bark — of a tree
  17. calf — of the leg
  18. bark — to shout
  19. calf — a young animal
  20. hand — part of the body
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. hand — in cards
  23. pop — to visit
  24. trunk — of a car

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