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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: season · lash · bat · trunk · track · calf · current · sharp

  1. Here is a list of ________________ job openings.
  2. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  5. Let us try to swim against the ________________.
  6. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  7. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  8. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  9. Wood does not conduct electric ________________.
  10. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  11. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  14. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  15. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  16. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  23. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  24. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. current — happening now
  2. season — in sport
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. bat — for baseball
  5. current — of water
  6. sharp — clever
  7. calf — of the leg
  8. lash — a whip stroke
  9. current — electric
  10. track — to keep track
  11. track — a path
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. track — a song
  14. trunk — of an elephant
  15. lash — to lash out
  16. lash — an eyelash
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bat — the animal
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. sharp — with an edge
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. calf — a young animal
  23. season — of the year
  24. calf — a young animal

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