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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. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  2. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  3. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  6. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  11. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  12. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  13. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  14. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  17. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  20. He is an ace ________________.
  21. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  22. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  23. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  24. He was locked up in a ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. cell — a phone
  2. pitcher — a jug
  3. pitcher — a jug
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. row — a quarrel
  6. root — of a plant
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pass — a permit
  11. pass — to succeed
  12. ruler — a monarch
  13. row — to paddle
  14. root — the cause
  15. pit — in a race
  16. ruler — for measuring
  17. pass — to spend time
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. root — of a word
  20. pitcher — in baseball
  21. cell — in biology
  22. ruler — for measuring
  23. row — a line
  24. cell — in a prison

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