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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 120 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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  3. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  4. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  5. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  6. Take your time. There's no ________________.
  7. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  8. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  9. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  10. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  11. The ________________ took off on time.
  12. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  13. You shouldn't ________________ things.
  14. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  15. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  16. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  17. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. That must've been a ________________.
  20. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  23. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. staff — employees
  3. content — happy
  4. dip — a sauce
  5. content — videos and posts
  6. rush — hurry
  7. dip — to dunk
  8. plane — a tool
  9. content — the amount
  10. trunk — of a car
  11. plane — an aircraft
  12. trunk — of an elephant
  13. rush — to hurry
  14. net — after costs
  15. staff — employees
  16. net — in sport
  17. net — for catching
  18. pit — in a race
  19. rush — a thrill
  20. plane — in geometry
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. staff — a stick
  23. dip — to sink
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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