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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: trunk · prune · rule · ball · chip · foot · kick · pitcher

  1. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  2. He is an ace ________________.
  3. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?
  4. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  7. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  8. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  9. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  10. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  11. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  12. Do not ________________ roses in the fall.
  13. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  14. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. The potato ________________ was salty and crunchy.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. I cannot ________________ this tree. It's too high.
  19. A ________________ is just a dried plum.
  20. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  21. The King held a masked ________________.
  22. Algeria has become a bargaining ________________ in a global game of poker.
  23. There's a computer ________________ on the table.
  24. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.

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

Answer key

  1. foot — the bottom
  2. pitcher — in baseball
  3. rule — government
  4. pitcher — a jug
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. kick — in football
  7. ball — a great time
  8. kick — with a leg
  9. ball — a round shape
  10. kick — a thrill
  11. foot — a measure
  12. prune — to trim
  13. foot — part of the body
  14. rule — a law
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. chip — to eat
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. prune — to trim
  19. prune — the fruit
  20. pitcher — a jug
  21. ball — a dance
  22. chip — for betting
  23. chip — in a computer
  24. rule — to rule out

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