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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. This looks like a gunshot ________________.
  4. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  5. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  6. Check the label for the sugar ________________.
  7. TikTok makes it very easy to create ________________.
  8. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  9. The ________________ took off on time.
  10. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  11. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  12. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  13. It's not a deep ________________. It's just a scratch.
  14. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  15. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  16. Did you ________________ the meat?
  17. Buy me a box of chocolates and I'll be ________________.
  18. The ________________ went through the wall.
  19. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  20. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  23. We ________________ up on opposing sides.
  24. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. wound — an injury
  4. season — of the year
  5. plane — in geometry
  6. content — the amount
  7. content — videos and posts
  8. season — in sport
  9. plane — an aircraft
  10. pit — a hole
  11. nail — for a hammer
  12. shower — rain
  13. wound — an injury
  14. shower — to wash
  15. trunk — of an elephant
  16. season — to add flavour
  17. content — happy
  18. nail — for a hammer
  19. nail — on a finger
  20. pit — in a race
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. shower — a meteor shower
  23. wound — past of 'wind'
  24. plane — a tool

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