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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. The ________________ of the members were all out of tune.
  2. We've got to handle this with ________________ gloves.
  3. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  4. I can't ________________ this cold.
  5. Because of the accident, he'll have a limp for the ________________ of his life.
  6. The owl hooted softly from its ________________.
  7. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  8. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  9. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  10. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  11. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  12. Don't ________________ yourself. You couldn't afford to buy a house like this.
  13. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  14. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  15. We need to address the ________________ of the problem.
  16. ________________ is common in the lakes of Sweden.
  17. I had chicken pox when I was a ________________.
  18. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  19. The ________________ of a dandelion is edible, too.
  20. The birds use the scarecrow as a ________________.
  21. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  22. I would like to have a ________________ here.
  23. The ________________ of 'teacher' is 'teach'.
  24. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.

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

Answer key

  1. rest — what's left
  2. kid — young goat (kid gloves)
  3. stand — for spectators
  4. stand — to bear
  5. rest — what's left
  6. perch — for a bird
  7. pit — a hole
  8. pit — in a race
  9. trunk — of a car
  10. pit — a fruit stone
  11. trunk — of an elephant
  12. kid — to tease
  13. net — after costs
  14. stand — on your feet
  15. root — the cause
  16. perch — the fish
  17. kid — child
  18. net — for catching
  19. root — of a plant
  20. perch — for a bird
  21. net — in sport
  22. rest — a break
  23. root — of a word
  24. trunk — of a tree

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