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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 116 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. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  2. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  5. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  6. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  7. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. There's no middle ________________.
  10. She ________________ him three sons and a daughter.
  11. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  12. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  13. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  14. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  15. Doesn't taking care of babies ________________ you?
  16. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  17. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  18. I can't ________________ this cold.
  19. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  20. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  23. Use a drill to ________________ a hole in the wall.
  24. She's sitting on a gold ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. fork — to eat with
  2. shower — a meteor shower
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. stand — for spectators
  5. trunk — of an elephant
  6. mine — an explosive
  7. shower — to wash
  8. shower — rain
  9. ground — a position
  10. bore — gave birth
  11. pit — a hole
  12. ground — crushed
  13. ground — the earth
  14. pit — in a race
  15. bore — to tire
  16. fork — in a road
  17. pit — a fruit stone
  18. stand — to bear
  19. fork — a garden tool
  20. stand — on your feet
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. mine — belonging to me
  23. bore — to drill
  24. mine — for digging

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