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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  3. I can't ________________ this cold.
  4. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  5. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  6. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  7. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  8. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  9. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.
  14. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  15. He was locked up in a ________________.
  16. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  17. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. David sat on the ________________.
  20. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  21. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  22. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  23. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  24. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. net — in sport
  3. stand — to bear
  4. bowl — a dish
  5. net — after costs
  6. trunk — of a tree
  7. cell — in biology
  8. stand — on your feet
  9. cell — a phone
  10. spring — the season
  11. spring — of water
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. swing — music
  14. spring — a coil
  15. cell — in a prison
  16. swing — in golf
  17. stand — for spectators
  18. net — for catching
  19. swing — to play on
  20. bowl — to roll
  21. chest — of your body
  22. chest — of your body
  23. bowl — a football final
  24. chest — a box

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