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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  3. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  7. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. This piece is in a major ________________.
  10. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. False peace will not ________________.
  13. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  14. The room was ________________ black, so I couldn't see a thing.
  15. The players ran onto the football ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  19. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  20. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  23. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  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. snap — to speak sharply
  2. key — the most important part
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. last — finally
  6. pit — a hole
  7. ruler — a monarch
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. key — in music
  10. patient — calm and waiting
  11. last — final
  12. last — to go on
  13. patient — a sick person
  14. pitch — completely
  15. pitch — a sports field
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. patient — a sick person
  19. key — for a lock
  20. ruler — for measuring
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. snap — to click
  23. pit — in a race
  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