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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. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  2. That was a fun ________________.
  3. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  4. She had a strange look on her ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  12. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  15. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  16. When will it ________________ you to start?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  19. Our bedroom windows ________________ the sea.
  20. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  21. Sooner or later you'll have to ________________ the truth.
  22. Did you ________________ the meat?
  23. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  24. He is an ace ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. season — in sport
  2. game — a match
  3. suit — clothes
  4. face — part of the head
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pit — a hole
  7. suit — in cards
  8. pit — in a race
  9. row — to paddle
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. row — a line
  12. row — a quarrel
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. game — a kind of play
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. suit — to fit
  17. season — of the year
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. face — to point toward
  20. game — wild animals
  21. face — to confront
  22. season — to add flavour
  23. trunk — of a car
  24. pitcher — in baseball

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