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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  3. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  6. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  7. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  8. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  9. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  10. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  11. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  12. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  15. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  16. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  17. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  18. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  19. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  20. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  21. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  24. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. face — to point toward
  3. kick — with a leg
  4. foot — a measure
  5. face — to confront
  6. degree — an amount
  7. prune — to trim
  8. pass — to succeed
  9. degree — from a university
  10. foot — part of the body
  11. kick — a thrill
  12. pass — to spend time
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. fine — high quality
  15. face — part of the head
  16. prune — the fruit
  17. degree — temperature
  18. foot — the bottom
  19. pass — a permit
  20. fine — a penalty
  21. prune — to trim
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. fine — all right
  24. kick — in football

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