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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  4. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  7. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  10. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  11. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  12. That must've been a ________________.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. False peace will not ________________.
  15. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  16. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  19. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  20. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  21. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  22. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  23. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — of a tree
  4. wind — moving air
  5. pit — a hole
  6. racket — a loud noise
  7. rest — what's left
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. rest — a break
  10. racket — for tennis
  11. rush — to hurry
  12. rush — a thrill
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. last — to go on
  15. last — finally
  16. rest — what's left
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. bark — a dog's sound
  19. last — final
  20. wind — to turn a key
  21. bark — to shout
  22. rush — hurry
  23. trunk — of an elephant
  24. trunk — of a tree

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