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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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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: hand · pop · date · pit · bowl · pitcher · foot · trunk

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We're almost out of ________________.
  3. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  4. It's your turn to ________________ the ball down the lane.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  7. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  8. Place the flour, butter and salt into a large clean ________________.
  9. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  12. You don't need to ________________ round.
  13. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  14. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  15. Millions watch the Super ________________ every February.
  16. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  17. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  18. He is an ace ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. Have you settled on a ________________?
  21. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  22. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pop — soda
  3. date — the fruit
  4. bowl — to roll
  5. pit — in a race
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. hand — part of the body
  8. bowl — a dish
  9. foot — a measure
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. hand — in cards
  12. pop — to visit
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. pit — a hole
  15. bowl — a football final
  16. hand — help
  17. date — on the calendar
  18. pitcher — in baseball
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. date — on the calendar
  21. trunk — of a car
  22. foot — part of the body
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. pop — 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