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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 elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  3. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  4. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  5. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  6. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.
  7. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  10. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  11. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  12. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  13. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  14. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  15. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. That was ________________ to happen.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  21. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  22. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. bat — for baseball
  3. pit — a fruit stone
  4. can — a tin
  5. snap — to click
  6. pitch — a sales talk
  7. bat — in an idiom
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. snap — to speak sharply
  10. pit — in a race
  11. bound — obliged
  12. season — of the year
  13. can — a tin
  14. can — to be able to
  15. pitch — completely
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. bound — certain
  19. pit — a hole
  20. season — in sport
  21. pitch — a sports field
  22. bound — tied together
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. bat — the animal

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