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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: stick · bay · hide · march · trunk · foot · swing · game

  1. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  2. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  3. The coach helped Matthew straighten out his golf ________________, improving his game.
  4. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  5. David sat on the ________________.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  8. That was a fun ________________.
  9. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  10. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  11. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  12. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  13. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  14. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  17. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  18. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  19. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  20. My mare is ________________ in color.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  23. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  24. In jazz, ________________ was gradually being replaced by bebop.

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

Answer key

  1. game — wild animals
  2. foot — the bottom
  3. swing — in golf
  4. stick — a piece of wood
  5. swing — to play on
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. bay — to keep at bay
  8. game — a match
  9. hide — animal skin
  10. hide — to keep secret
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. game — a kind of play
  13. bay — a part of the sea
  14. foot — part of the body
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. march — the month
  17. march — music
  18. stick — to attach or keep to
  19. march — the month
  20. bay — a horse colour
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. foot — a measure
  24. swing — music

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