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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. Your daily life is your ________________ and your religion.
  3. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  9. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  10. A trickle of blood ran from her ________________ down her cheek.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  14. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. When was this ________________ built?
  17. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  18. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  19. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  20. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  21. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  22. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. temple — a place of worship
  3. pass — to succeed
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. shower — to wash
  6. shower — a meteor shower
  7. pitch — completely
  8. kick — in football
  9. current — happening now
  10. temple — side of the head
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. file — a tool
  14. pitch — a sports field
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. temple — a place of worship
  17. shower — rain
  18. pass — to spend time
  19. current — electric
  20. current — of water
  21. file — a document
  22. kick — with a leg
  23. pass — a permit
  24. file — a line of people

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