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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  3. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  4. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  5. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  6. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  7. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  8. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  9. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  15. There's no middle ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  18. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  19. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  22. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. perch — for a bird
  3. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  4. calf — a young animal
  5. calf — of the leg
  6. kid — to tease
  7. kid — child
  8. degree — from a university
  9. degree — an amount
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ground — crushed
  12. chip — in a computer
  13. ground — the earth
  14. deal — a big deal
  15. ground — a position
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. perch — the fish
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. degree — temperature
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. chip — to eat
  22. deal — an agreement
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. chip — for betting

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