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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. The giraffe protected her ________________ with great courage.
  3. Borders were drawn on the map using a ________________, with no regard for cultural realities on the ground.
  4. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. He had ________________ pain while walking.
  7. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  8. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  11. A ________________ helps one to draw a straight line.
  12. He was locked up in a ________________.
  13. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  14. He asked the witch to reverse the ________________.
  15. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  16. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  17. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  18. The giraffe did all she could to defend her ________________.
  19. How do you ________________ your surname?
  20. We've had a long dry ________________ this summer.
  21. The people resisted their cruel ________________.
  22. Each ________________ is a complete and highly sophisticated living world in its own right.
  23. Oh no! I wasn't paying attention and left my ________________ phone in the restaurant!
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. calf — a young animal
  3. ruler — for measuring
  4. pit — a hole
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. calf — of the leg
  7. trunk — of an elephant
  8. wax — to grow
  9. pit — in a race
  10. wax — for sculpting
  11. ruler — for measuring
  12. cell — in a prison
  13. trunk — of a tree
  14. spell — magic
  15. season — in sport
  16. wax — in the ear
  17. season — of the year
  18. calf — a young animal
  19. spell — letters
  20. spell — a short time
  21. ruler — a monarch
  22. cell — in biology
  23. cell — a phone
  24. season — to add flavour

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