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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. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  2. I have a corn on my right ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. She works as an advertiser at a New Jersey ________________.
  5. Heather can grow to a ________________ or so tall.
  6. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  7. Males and females first ________________ when two years old.
  8. Excuse me, sorry ________________, you haven't got the time have you?
  9. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  10. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  11. He hasn't even shaken my ________________.
  12. I got dealt a bad ________________.
  13. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  14. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  17. Do you need a ________________ with that?
  18. Have you found your soul ________________?
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. The newcomer sat down at the ________________ of the table.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. Nothing provides more peace of mind than a ________________ decision.
  24. I'll stand ________________ for what I deserve.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — in a race
  2. foot — part of the body
  3. cold — not warm
  4. firm — a company
  5. foot — a measure
  6. straw — a straw man
  7. mate — to breed
  8. mate — a friend
  9. cold — an illness
  10. straw — to clutch at straws
  11. hand — part of the body
  12. hand — in cards
  13. pit — a fruit stone
  14. straw — dry grass
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of a tree
  17. hand — help
  18. mate — a partner
  19. pit — a hole
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. foot — the bottom
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. firm — decided
  24. firm — steady

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