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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 newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He is an ace ________________.
  4. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  5. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  10. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  13. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  14. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  15. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  16. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  17. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  18. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. pitcher — in baseball
  4. cap — of ice
  5. hand — part of the body
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. present — a gift
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. hand — help
  10. hand — in cards
  11. season — in sport
  12. present — there
  13. season — of the year
  14. present — the time now
  15. cap — a lid
  16. hide — to keep secret
  17. pitcher — a jug
  18. hide — to keep secret
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. foot — a measure
  21. cap — a hat
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. hide — animal skin
  24. season — to add flavour

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