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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. Have you met the new head ________________?
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  4. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  8. The cuffs of his ________________ jacket are badly frayed.
  9. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  10. Is the royal ________________ prepared for the journey?
  11. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  12. When will it ________________ you to start?
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The King held a masked ________________.
  15. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  16. That was a fun ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  19. Positive actions can inspire others to follow ________________.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The ________________ told me I needed to practice harder.
  22. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. The train ________________ at six o'clock.

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

Answer key

  1. coach — a trainer
  2. pit — a hole
  3. wound — an injury
  4. ball — a round shape
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. trunk — of a car
  8. suit — clothes
  9. wound — an injury
  10. coach — pulled by horses
  11. game — a kind of play
  12. suit — to fit
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ball — a dance
  15. wound — past of 'wind'
  16. game — a match
  17. ball — a great time
  18. leaves — lets stay
  19. suit — in cards
  20. pit — in a race
  21. coach — a trainer
  22. game — wild animals
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. leaves — to go away

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