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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. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. My father caught me by the ________________.
  3. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  4. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  5. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  6. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  7. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  8. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  11. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  12. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  13. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  14. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. The ball is in your ________________.
  17. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  18. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  19. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  23. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  24. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. arm — part of the body
  3. net — in sport
  4. arm — a part of something
  5. chip — to eat
  6. net — after costs
  7. jam — a tight spot
  8. scale — for weighing
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. date — the fruit
  11. chip — in a computer
  12. jam — to spread on bread
  13. court — of a king
  14. jam — in traffic
  15. net — for catching
  16. court — for sport
  17. chip — for betting
  18. arm — part of the body
  19. court — of law
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. date — on the calendar
  23. scale — in music
  24. scale — size or range

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