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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 120 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. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The tickets are free of ________________.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  8. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  9. Champaud competed in the parallel bars, ________________, and pommel horse events.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  12. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  13. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  14. Lukas kept the diamonds in a locked ________________.
  15. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. The ceiling is a plaster ________________ painted with stars.
  18. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  19. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  20. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  21. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  24. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — for catching
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. pit — in a race
  5. charge — a price
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. charge — electricity
  8. net — in sport
  9. vault — in gymnastics
  10. spring — of water
  11. spring — the season
  12. net — after costs
  13. kick — in football
  14. vault — a safe
  15. kick — a thrill
  16. pit — a hole
  17. vault — an arched ceiling
  18. charge — in control
  19. spring — a coil
  20. drill — a practice
  21. drill — the tool
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. pit — a fruit stone
  24. drill — army training

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