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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. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.
  4. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  5. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  6. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  7. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  8. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  9. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  10. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  11. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  12. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  13. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  14. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  15. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  16. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  17. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  18. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  19. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  22. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  23. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  24. She's preparing to ________________ her idea to the investors.

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

Answer key

  1. bat — in an idiom
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. hide — animal skin
  4. band — a ring
  5. trunk — of a tree
  6. dip — to sink
  7. pitch — a sports field
  8. trunk — of an elephant
  9. fall — to drop
  10. bat — the animal
  11. hide — to keep secret
  12. fall — to drop
  13. bat — for baseball
  14. dip — a sauce
  15. fall — the season
  16. pitch — completely
  17. band — a rubber band
  18. dip — to dunk
  19. pit — in a race
  20. pit — a hole
  21. hide — to keep secret
  22. trunk — of a car
  23. band — a music group
  24. pitch — a sales talk

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