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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. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  5. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  6. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  9. Where did you ________________ them?
  10. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  11. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  12. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  15. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  18. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  19. I'll be taking the ________________.
  20. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  21. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  22. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  23. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  24. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.

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

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. lie — to recline
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. foot — the bottom
  5. bass — the fish
  6. lie — an untruth
  7. kick — in football
  8. can — a tin
  9. mug — to rob
  10. tube — in a tire
  11. lie — an untruth
  12. can — a tin
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. kick — with a leg
  15. foot — a measure
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. mug — a cup
  18. can — to be able to
  19. tube — the underground
  20. tube — a container
  21. mug — a face
  22. bass — the instrument
  23. foot — part of the body
  24. kick — a thrill

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