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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 seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  6. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  7. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  8. Don't do anything ________________.
  9. He is an ace ________________.
  10. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  11. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  12. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  13. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  14. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  15. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  16. I can't ________________ this cold.
  17. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  18. How do you ________________ your surname?
  19. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  20. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  21. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. rash — a series
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. ruler — for measuring
  6. pit — a fruit stone
  7. pit — in a race
  8. rash — hasty
  9. pitcher — in baseball
  10. stand — on your feet
  11. trunk — of a car
  12. stand — for spectators
  13. kick — a thrill
  14. pitcher — a jug
  15. spell — a short time
  16. stand — to bear
  17. ruler — for measuring
  18. spell — letters
  19. spell — magic
  20. ruler — a monarch
  21. kick — in football
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. kick — with a leg
  24. pit — a hole

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