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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. We were using a ________________ as a seat.
  2. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  3. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  4. Which do you like better, ________________ music or classical music?
  5. False peace will not ________________.
  6. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  7. I don't want to ________________ the boat.
  8. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  9. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  10. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  11. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  12. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. It's one o'clock ________________.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  22. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  23. He's quite ________________, isn't he?
  24. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. rock — a stone
  2. last — final
  3. kick — in football
  4. rock — music
  5. last — to go on
  6. racket — for tennis
  7. rock — to move gently
  8. last — finally
  9. pit — a hole
  10. sharp — with an edge
  11. pit — in a race
  12. kick — a thrill
  13. shower — to wash
  14. racket — a loud noise
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. sharp — exactly
  18. shower — rain
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. trunk — of a tree
  22. racket — for tennis
  23. sharp — clever
  24. shower — a meteor shower

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