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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. There's no middle ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. Where did you ________________ them?
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. This shop sells ________________ wines and cheeses.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. I assure you, everything's ________________.
  8. The lid of the ________________ creaked open.
  9. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. That was ________________ to happen.
  14. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  15. She laid her head on my ________________ so she could listen to my heartbeat.
  16. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  17. I felt an uncomfortable tightness in my ________________.
  18. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  19. I got a ________________ for parking in the wrong place.
  20. He refilled his coffee ________________.
  21. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  22. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  23. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  24. Is that Pat Hanrahan's ________________ looking hungry and willing.

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

Answer key

  1. ground — a position
  2. pit — a hole
  3. mug — to rob
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. fine — high quality
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. fine — all right
  8. chest — a box
  9. bound — obliged
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. bound — tied together
  12. ground — crushed
  13. bound — certain
  14. leaves — to go away
  15. chest — of your body
  16. leaves — lets stay
  17. chest — of your body
  18. pit — in a race
  19. fine — a penalty
  20. mug — a cup
  21. trunk — of an elephant
  22. ground — the earth
  23. leaves — of a tree
  24. mug — a face

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