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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  5. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  6. How do you ________________ your surname?
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  9. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  10. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  11. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  14. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  17. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  18. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  19. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  20. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  21. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  22. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  23. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  24. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. fine — high quality
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. perch — the fish
  5. spring — the season
  6. spell — letters
  7. fine — all right
  8. spring — a coil
  9. present — a gift
  10. trunk — of a tree
  11. present — the time now
  12. pit — in a race
  13. trunk — of a car
  14. spring — of water
  15. spell — a short time
  16. ruler — a monarch
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — magic
  19. perch — for a bird
  20. pit — a fruit stone
  21. perch — for a bird
  22. fine — a penalty
  23. ruler — for measuring
  24. present — there

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