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

Word bank: foot · date · trunk · bowl · field · chest · bay · pit

  1. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  5. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  6. The stadium has a track around the football ________________.
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  10. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  11. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  12. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  13. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  16. Have you settled on a ________________?
  17. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  18. My mare is ________________ in color.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  21. Vegetables are growing on this ________________.
  22. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  23. She's an expert in the ________________ of medicine.
  24. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. trunk — of a tree
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. date — on the calendar
  5. chest — of your body
  6. field — for sport
  7. pit — in a race
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. date — the fruit
  10. chest — a box
  11. bowl — to roll
  12. chest — of your body
  13. foot — the bottom
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. bay — a part of the sea
  16. date — on the calendar
  17. bowl — a dish
  18. bay — a horse colour
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. foot — a measure
  21. field — farmland
  22. bay — to keep at bay
  23. field — a subject
  24. bowl — a football final

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