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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. The ________________ was so hot, it burned my tongue.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  4. They watched the sun ________________ below the horizon.
  5. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  6. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  7. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  8. I like to ________________ a cookie in coffee.
  9. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  10. The ________________ went through the wall.
  11. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  12. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  13. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  14. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  15. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.
  16. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  17. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  18. There's no middle ________________.
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  22. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  23. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  24. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?

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

Answer key

  1. dip — a sauce
  2. pit — in a race
  3. straw — to clutch at straws
  4. dip — to sink
  5. wake — to stop sleeping
  6. trunk — of a car
  7. track — a song
  8. dip — to dunk
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. nail — for a hammer
  11. nail — on a finger
  12. straw — a straw man
  13. trunk — of an elephant
  14. ground — the earth
  15. wake — before a funeral
  16. wake — a trail
  17. trunk — of a tree
  18. ground — a position
  19. track — a path
  20. ground — crushed
  21. track — to keep track
  22. straw — dry grass
  23. pit — a hole
  24. pit — a fruit stone

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