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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. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  2. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  3. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?
  4. I didn't ________________ up well this morning.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  7. Atomic bombs are a danger to the human ________________.
  8. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  9. Have you settled on a ________________?
  10. Only by prohibiting all nuclear weapons, we can together stop the arms ________________.
  11. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  12. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  13. A ________________ is a sweet brown fruit from a palm tree.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. He is as ________________ as a wolf.
  16. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  17. Vegetables slowly ________________ towards the light.
  18. This piece is in a major ________________.
  19. Winning one ________________ isn't the same as dominating a sport.
  20. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  21. Why do cosmetics have an expiration ________________?
  22. The speedboat left a long ________________ behind it.
  23. Don't ________________ against the wall. It's just been painted.
  24. Friends gathered at the ________________ to remember him.

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of an elephant
  2. snap — to speak sharply
  3. key — for a lock
  4. wake — to stop sleeping
  5. pit — a hole
  6. key — the most important part
  7. race — humankind
  8. snap — to snap out of it
  9. date — on the calendar
  10. race — the arms race
  11. snap — to click
  12. trunk — of a car
  13. date — the fruit
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. lean — thin
  16. pit — in a race
  17. lean — to bend
  18. key — in music
  19. race — a contest
  20. trunk — of a tree
  21. date — on the calendar
  22. wake — a trail
  23. lean — to rest against
  24. wake — before a funeral

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