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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: trunk · rest · sharp · racket · field · jam · deal · lie

  1. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  4. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  5. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  6. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  7. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  11. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  12. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  13. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  14. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  17. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  18. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  19. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  20. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  24. It's one o'clock ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. lie — to recline
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. trunk — of a tree
  4. jam — to spread on bread
  5. field — for sport
  6. field — a subject
  7. lie — an untruth
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. jam — in traffic
  12. sharp — clever
  13. sharp — with an edge
  14. deal — to handle
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. rest — a break
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. lie — an untruth
  19. deal — a big deal
  20. rest — what's left
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. field — farmland
  23. rest — what's left
  24. sharp — exactly

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