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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  4. The tickets are free of ________________.
  5. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  6. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  7. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  8. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  9. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  10. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  11. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  12. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  13. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  14. I belonged to the harmonica ________________ in my high school days.
  15. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  16. My rich neighbors belong to a private golf ________________.
  17. Later, his shop becomes a ________________ with young dancers.
  18. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  19. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. He is an ace ________________.
  23. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  24. Where can I ________________ my mobile?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. lash — a whip stroke
  4. charge — a price
  5. fall — to drop
  6. trunk — of an elephant
  7. spring — the season
  8. fall — the season
  9. lash — to lash out
  10. spring — of water
  11. lash — an eyelash
  12. pit — in a race
  13. pitcher — a jug
  14. club — a group
  15. spring — a coil
  16. club — for golf
  17. club — for dancing
  18. pitcher — a jug
  19. fall — to drop
  20. pit — a hole
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. pitcher — in baseball
  23. charge — in control
  24. charge — electricity

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