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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: dip · trunk · nail · season · pop · pitch · last · file

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. We walked down the narrow path in single ________________.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  5. He rubbed the rust off with a ________________.
  6. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  7. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  8. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  9. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  10. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The information is stored in a ________________ on my computer.
  14. You don't need to ________________ round.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  20. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  21. Did you ________________ the meat?
  22. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  23. The ________________ went through the wall.
  24. We're almost out of ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. file — a line of people
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. pop — music
  5. file — a tool
  6. season — of the year
  7. pitch — completely
  8. dip — to sink
  9. nail — on a finger
  10. dip — a sauce
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. last — to go on
  13. file — a document
  14. pop — to visit
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. season — in sport
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. dip — to dunk
  20. last — final
  21. season — to add flavour
  22. last — finally
  23. nail — for a hammer
  24. pop — soda

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