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

Word bank: mate · pit · game · arm · stand · row · trunk · staff

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  3. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  4. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  5. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  6. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  7. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  10. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  11. Have you found your soul ________________?
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I can't ________________ this cold.
  14. My father caught me by the ________________.
  15. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  16. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  19. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  20. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  21. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  24. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. row — a line
  3. game — a kind of play
  4. game — wild animals
  5. mate — a friend
  6. staff — employees
  7. staff — a stick
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. trunk — of a tree
  10. row — a quarrel
  11. mate — a partner
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. stand — to bear
  14. arm — part of the body
  15. pit — a fruit stone
  16. pit — a hole
  17. game — a match
  18. staff — employees
  19. mate — to breed
  20. arm — a part of something
  21. stand — on your feet
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. row — to paddle
  24. pit — in a race

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