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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: kick · tube · rule · trunk · pit · jam · net · bark

  1. I'll be taking the ________________.
  2. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  5. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  8. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  9. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  12. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  15. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  16. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  17. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  18. I want a large ________________ of toothpaste.
  19. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  20. I need a new inner ________________ for my bike tire.
  21. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  24. He took the fish out of the ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. tube — the underground
  2. kick — a thrill
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. jam — a tight spot
  5. bark — to shout
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. bark — a dog's sound
  8. rule — to rule out
  9. kick — with a leg
  10. pit — in a race
  11. jam — to spread on bread
  12. rule — government
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. bark — of a tree
  15. rule — a law
  16. jam — in traffic
  17. net — in sport
  18. tube — a container
  19. net — after costs
  20. tube — in a tire
  21. pit — a hole
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. kick — in football
  24. net — for catching

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