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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 · ground · bat · object · foot · last · chair · field

  1. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  4. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  5. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  6. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  7. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  10. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  11. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  12. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. There's no middle ________________.
  15. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  16. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  17. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. False peace will not ________________.
  22. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  23. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. field — a subject
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. object — an aim
  4. object — to protest
  5. ground — the earth
  6. foot — part of the body
  7. last — finally
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. chair — to sit on
  10. bat — in an idiom
  11. ground — crushed
  12. field — for sport
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. ground — a position
  15. chair — a leader
  16. chair — a professorship
  17. foot — a measure
  18. bat — the animal
  19. bat — for baseball
  20. last — final
  21. last — to go on
  22. field — farmland
  23. object — a thing
  24. trunk — of a tree

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