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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.

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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: stick · trunk · last · pitch · foot · net · kick · spell

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  3. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  4. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  5. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  6. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  7. False peace will not ________________.
  8. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  11. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  12. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  15. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  16. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  17. How do you ________________ your surname?
  18. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  19. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  20. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  23. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  24. At ________________, we arrived at the village.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. net — after costs
  3. net — for catching
  4. pitch — a sports field
  5. kick — in football
  6. pitch — completely
  7. last — to go on
  8. foot — part of the body
  9. net — in sport
  10. last — final
  11. kick — with a leg
  12. spell — magic
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. foot — a measure
  15. pitch — a sales talk
  16. stick — to attach or keep to
  17. spell — letters
  18. spell — a short time
  19. kick — a thrill
  20. stick — a piece of wood
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. stick — a piece of wood
  23. foot — the bottom
  24. last — finally

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