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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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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. How do you ________________ your surname?
  2. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  3. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  4. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  5. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  6. Should I buy a wireless ________________?
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. The big green plant was starting to droop at the ________________.
  9. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  14. Many English words ________________ from Latin.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  17. "I don't like games like this," squeaked the ________________.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. I thought I heard a ________________ in the kitchen.
  20. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  21. Scientists study ________________ cells to repair damaged tissue.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  24. What do you think of the new ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. spell — letters
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. pitch — a sales talk
  4. shower — a meteor shower
  5. cabinet — a cupboard
  6. mouse — for a computer
  7. pit — a hole
  8. stem — of a plant
  9. pitch — completely
  10. pit — in a race
  11. shower — to wash
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. spell — a short time
  14. stem — to come from
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. spell — magic
  17. mouse — the animal
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. mouse — the animal
  20. pitch — a sports field
  21. stem — a stem cell
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. shower — rain
  24. cabinet — ministers

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