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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. After the show, she was the ________________ of the town.
  5. I'd like to play a game of ________________.
  6. Every pianist practices the C major ________________.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. Cut the butternut ________________ into one-inch cubes.
  9. The kitchen ________________ is next to the microwave.
  10. I would like to propose a ________________ on your birthday.
  11. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  12. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. The president vowed to ________________ the mutiny.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  18. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  19. Nobody expected a disaster on this ________________.
  20. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  21. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  22. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  23. I like lots of butter on my ________________ in the morning.
  24. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. jam — a tight spot
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. toast — the most admired
  5. squash — the sport
  6. scale — in music
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. squash — the vegetable
  9. scale — for weighing
  10. toast — a drink to someone
  11. stick — a piece of wood
  12. bat — in an idiom
  13. pit — in a race
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. squash — to crush
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. trunk — of a car
  19. scale — size or range
  20. jam — in traffic
  21. bat — the animal
  22. stick — to attach or keep to
  23. toast — bread
  24. bat — for 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