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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. Don't do anything ________________.
  3. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  6. We will have lived in Kyoto for eight years next ________________.
  7. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  8. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  9. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  12. His birthday is in either ________________ or April.
  13. We're almost out of ________________.
  14. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  15. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  18. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  19. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  20. You don't need to ________________ round.
  21. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  22. The band played a military ________________ at the parade.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. rash — hasty
  3. jam — a tight spot
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. jam — to spread on bread
  6. march — the month
  7. chair — a leader
  8. bark — of a tree
  9. trunk — of an elephant
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. bark — to shout
  12. march — the month
  13. pop — soda
  14. rash — on the skin
  15. bark — a dog's sound
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. chair — a professorship
  18. pop — music
  19. rash — a series
  20. pop — to visit
  21. pit — a fruit stone
  22. march — music
  23. pit — a hole
  24. jam — in traffic

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