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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 116 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  4. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  5. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  8. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  9. The ________________ found him guilty of stealing money.
  10. When a clown is made king, the ________________ becomes a circus.
  11. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  12. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  13. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  14. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  15. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. The ball is in your ________________.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  20. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  21. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  22. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  23. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  24. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. bear — the animal
  4. mine — belonging to me
  5. cap — a lid
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bear — to put up with
  8. mine — for digging
  9. court — of law
  10. court — of a king
  11. cap — of ice
  12. pitch — a sales talk
  13. pitch — completely
  14. patient — a sick person
  15. bear — the animal
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. court — for sport
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. fine — high quality
  20. mine — an explosive
  21. fine — a penalty
  22. fine — all right
  23. patient — a sick person
  24. cap — a hat

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