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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: trunk · sharp · pop · squash · arm · cell · game · safe

  1. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  2. Is it ________________ for us to be here?
  3. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  4. My father caught me by the ________________.
  5. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  6. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  7. Tom was very happy that his son returned home ________________ and sound.
  8. It's one o'clock ________________.
  9. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  10. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  11. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  12. We're almost out of ________________.
  13. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  14. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  15. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  16. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  17. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  18. You don't need to ________________ round.
  19. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  20. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  21. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  22. That was a fun ________________.
  23. He was locked up in a ________________.
  24. He has no idea where the ________________ is.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a tree
  2. safe — out of danger
  3. game — wild animals
  4. arm — part of the body
  5. sharp — with an edge
  6. game — a kind of play
  7. safe — out of danger
  8. sharp — exactly
  9. cell — in biology
  10. cell — a phone
  11. arm — a part of something
  12. pop — soda
  13. arm — part of the body
  14. trunk — of a car
  15. sharp — clever
  16. squash — the vegetable
  17. squash — to crush
  18. pop — to visit
  19. trunk — of an elephant
  20. pop — music
  21. squash — the sport
  22. game — a match
  23. cell — in a prison
  24. safe — a strongbox

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