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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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Word bank
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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: lie · calf · bat · trunk · pit · straw · can · pitch

  1. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  3. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  4. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  8. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  9. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  10. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  11. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  12. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  15. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  16. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  17. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  21. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  22. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  23. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  24. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. lie — an untruth
  3. pit — a hole
  4. pitch — a sales talk
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. can — to be able to
  7. lie — to recline
  8. bat — for baseball
  9. bat — in an idiom
  10. lie — an untruth
  11. bat — the animal
  12. straw — dry grass
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. straw — to clutch at straws
  15. calf — a young animal
  16. pitch — a sports field
  17. calf — a young animal
  18. pitch — completely
  19. pit — in a race
  20. calf — of the leg
  21. can — a tin
  22. pit — a fruit stone
  23. can — a tin
  24. straw — a straw man

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