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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 116 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 · last · pitch · can · pop · cell · mug · dip

  1. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  2. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  3. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  4. False peace will not ________________.
  5. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  6. Where did you ________________ them?
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. You don't need to ________________ round.
  11. He was locked up in a ________________.
  12. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  13. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  16. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  17. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  18. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  19. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. last — final
  2. trunk — of an elephant
  3. mug — a cup
  4. last — to go on
  5. cell — a phone
  6. mug — to rob
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. last — finally
  9. pop — soda
  10. pop — to visit
  11. cell — in a prison
  12. dip — a sauce
  13. dip — to sink
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. can — to be able to
  16. can — a tin
  17. can — a tin
  18. cell — in biology
  19. pitch — a sales talk
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. pitch — completely
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pop — music
  24. mug — a face

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