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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 116 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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  4. How do you ________________ your surname?
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. How can I extract the audio from a video ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  9. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  10. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  11. Don't do anything ________________.
  12. It seems a cruel thing to ________________ a bird's wings.
  13. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  14. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  15. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  16. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  17. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  18. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. Hold the papers together with a ________________.
  21. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  22. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  23. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  24. The elephant has a huge ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. pit — in a race
  3. rash — a series
  4. spell — letters
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. clip — a video
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. racket — for tennis
  10. degree — temperature
  11. rash — hasty
  12. clip — to cut
  13. degree — an amount
  14. spell — a short time
  15. racket — a loud noise
  16. rash — on the skin
  17. racket — for tennis
  18. degree — from a university
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. clip — for paper
  21. hide — animal skin
  22. spell — magic
  23. hide — to keep secret
  24. trunk — of an elephant

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