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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. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  12. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  13. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  14. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  17. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  18. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  19. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  20. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  21. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  22. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  23. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  24. The old man leaned on his ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. kid — to tease
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. fine — high quality
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. staff — employees
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. racket — a loud noise
  12. pitch — a sports field
  13. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  14. staff — employees
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. fine — a penalty
  17. bear — the animal
  18. bear — the animal
  19. trunk — of a car
  20. fine — all right
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. pitch — completely
  23. kid — child
  24. staff — a stick

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