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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  3. Rodrigo's family went to the dog ________________ to adopt a dog.
  4. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  7. Jeff had to ________________ the pavement for three months before he found a job.
  8. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  9. He was locked up in a ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. A ________________ is equal to sixteen ounces.
  13. Have you met the new head ________________?
  14. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  15. My mare is ________________ in color.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  18. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. The ________________ went through the wall.
  21. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  22. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  23. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. coach — a trainer
  3. pound — for dogs
  4. nail — on a finger
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. net — for catching
  7. pound — to hit hard
  8. calf — a young animal
  9. cell — in a prison
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. pound — a weight
  13. coach — a trainer
  14. bay — to keep at bay
  15. bay — a horse colour
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. cell — in biology
  18. bay — a part of the sea
  19. net — after costs
  20. nail — for a hammer
  21. calf — a young animal
  22. calf — of the leg
  23. net — in sport
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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