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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. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  2. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  3. The water is too ________________.
  4. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  5. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  6. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  7. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  8. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  9. Tom got himself in a ________________.
  10. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  11. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  12. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Would you like some apricot ________________?
  15. False peace will not ________________.
  16. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  17. I am seized by an uncontrollable ________________ of sadness.
  18. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  19. The bus was late because of the traffic ________________.
  20. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  21. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  22. The surfers were looking for the perfect ________________.
  23. A lot of friends came to ________________ goodbye to me.
  24. Did you ________________ the meat?

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

Answer key

  1. trunk — of a car
  2. pit — a hole
  3. cold — not warm
  4. craft — a handicraft
  5. last — finally
  6. cold — an illness
  7. season — of the year
  8. pit — a fruit stone
  9. jam — a tight spot
  10. trunk — of an elephant
  11. season — in sport
  12. trunk — of a tree
  13. pit — in a race
  14. jam — to spread on bread
  15. last — to go on
  16. last — final
  17. wave — a sudden rise
  18. craft — a skill
  19. jam — in traffic
  20. cold — the Cold War
  21. craft — boats
  22. wave — of the sea
  23. wave — with your hand
  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