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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. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  5. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. I'll be taking the ________________.
  8. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  9. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  12. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  13. When will it ________________ you to start?
  14. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  15. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  16. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  17. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  18. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  19. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  20. Where did you ________________ them?
  21. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  24. He refilled his coffee ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. march — the month
  3. suit — clothes
  4. field — for sport
  5. field — a subject
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. tube — the underground
  8. march — music
  9. bat — for baseball
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. march — the month
  12. toast — the most admired
  13. suit — to fit
  14. tube — in a tire
  15. toast — bread
  16. tube — a container
  17. mug — a face
  18. toast — a drink to someone
  19. bat — the animal
  20. mug — to rob
  21. suit — in cards
  22. field — farmland
  23. bat — in an idiom
  24. mug — a cup

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