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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. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  4. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  7. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  10. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  14. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  17. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  18. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  19. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  20. False peace will not ________________.
  21. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  22. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  23. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  24. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.

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

Answer key

  1. net — in sport
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. last — finally
  4. pit — in a race
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. hide — to keep secret
  7. hide — animal skin
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. drill — a practice
  10. bore — to tire
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. pit — a hole
  13. ruler — for measuring
  14. ruler — for measuring
  15. drill — the tool
  16. net — for catching
  17. net — after costs
  18. ruler — a monarch
  19. trunk — of a tree
  20. last — to go on
  21. last — final
  22. bore — to drill
  23. drill — army training
  24. bore — gave birth

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