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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: trunk · kick · tube · game · rock · pit · pitch · rule

  1. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  5. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  6. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  7. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  8. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  9. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  17. That was a fun ________________.
  18. I'll be taking the ________________.
  19. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  20. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  21. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  22. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  23. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. pitch — a sports field
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. game — a kind of play
  5. game — wild animals
  6. rule — to rule out
  7. kick — in football
  8. trunk — of a car
  9. tube — a container
  10. pit — in a race
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. tube — in a tire
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pitch — completely
  16. rock — a stone
  17. game — a match
  18. tube — the underground
  19. rock — to move gently
  20. rule — government
  21. kick — with a leg
  22. rock — music
  23. rule — a law
  24. pit — a hole

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