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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.

Words on the sheet
468
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: arm · bear · trunk · pitch · racket · season · club · sharp

  1. My father caught me by the ________________.
  2. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  3. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  4. Did you ________________ the meat?
  5. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  9. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  13. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  14. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  15. It's one o'clock ________________.
  16. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  17. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  18. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  19. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  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. arm — part of the body
  2. racket — a loud noise
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. season — to add flavour
  5. racket — for tennis
  6. sharp — clever
  7. season — of the year
  8. bear — to put up with
  9. club — a group
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. racket — for tennis
  13. bear — the animal
  14. pitch — a sales talk
  15. sharp — exactly
  16. club — for dancing
  17. pitch — completely
  18. club — for golf
  19. sharp — with an edge
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. season — in sport
  22. bear — the animal
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  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