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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 116 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 in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  3. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. We ________________ that the plan would end in failure.
  8. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  9. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  10. She's very handy with a ________________.
  11. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  14. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  15. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  16. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. He works in a ________________ mill.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. pass — to succeed
  3. pass — a permit
  4. face — part of the head
  5. fall — the season
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. saw — past of 'see'
  8. pit — a hole
  9. pit — a fruit stone
  10. saw — the tool
  11. fall — to drop
  12. pit — in a race
  13. face — to point toward
  14. face — to confront
  15. fall — to drop
  16. pass — to spend time
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. saw — the tool

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