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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. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  2. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  3. Plant the tulip ________________ before the first frost.
  4. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. I've got to change the light ________________.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. I'll be taking the ________________.
  9. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  10. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  11. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  14. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  19. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  20. The light ________________ burned out.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  23. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  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. kick — with a leg
  2. tube — a container
  3. bulb — of a plant
  4. toast — bread
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. bulb — for light
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. tube — the underground
  9. toast — a drink to someone
  10. chair — a professorship
  11. kid — to tease
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. chair — a leader
  14. kid — child
  15. chest — of your body
  16. kick — a thrill
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. chair — to sit on
  19. toast — the most admired
  20. bulb — for light
  21. chest — of your body
  22. tube — in a tire
  23. chest — a box
  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