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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 120 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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  4. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  8. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  11. When will it ________________ you to start?
  12. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  13. That was a fun ________________.
  14. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  15. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  16. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  17. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  18. Where did you ________________ them?
  19. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  24. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. degree — from a university
  4. foot — a measure
  5. swing — to play on
  6. spell — letters
  7. suit — clothes
  8. mug — a face
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. game — a kind of play
  11. suit — to fit
  12. swing — in golf
  13. game — a match
  14. game — wild animals
  15. suit — in cards
  16. degree — temperature
  17. swing — music
  18. mug — to rob
  19. foot — the bottom
  20. spell — a short time
  21. spell — magic
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. mug — a cup
  24. degree — an amount

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