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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 120 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 · nail · sharp · current · bat · cap · racket · kid

  1. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  4. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  5. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  6. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  7. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  8. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  9. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  10. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  11. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  12. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  13. It's one o'clock ________________.
  14. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  15. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  16. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  17. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  18. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  19. The ________________ went through the wall.
  20. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  21. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  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. kid — child
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. bat — in an idiom
  4. current — of water
  5. nail — for a hammer
  6. cap — a hat
  7. current — electric
  8. racket — for tennis
  9. racket — a loud noise
  10. current — happening now
  11. bat — for baseball
  12. bat — the animal
  13. sharp — exactly
  14. sharp — clever
  15. kid — to tease
  16. nail — on a finger
  17. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  18. sharp — with an edge
  19. nail — for a hammer
  20. cap — a lid
  21. racket — for tennis
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. cap — of ice
  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