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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: mate · hide · trunk · ruler · squash · bound · pitch · chest

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  4. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  5. Have you found your soul ________________?
  6. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  7. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  10. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  11. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  12. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  13. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  14. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  15. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  16. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  17. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  18. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  19. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  20. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  21. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  22. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  23. That was ________________ to happen.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bound — tied together
  4. squash — the vegetable
  5. mate — a partner
  6. pitch — a sports field
  7. mate — a friend
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. chest — of your body
  10. mate — to breed
  11. hide — animal skin
  12. hide — to keep secret
  13. bound — obliged
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. hide — to keep secret
  16. squash — to crush
  17. ruler — a monarch
  18. pitch — completely
  19. chest — a box
  20. chest — of your body
  21. ruler — for measuring
  22. squash — the sport
  23. bound — certain
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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