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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. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.
  2. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  3. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  6. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  7. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  8. James Baker serves as an Honorary Co-________________ for the World Justice Project.
  9. Professor Sir Peter Hirsch formerly held the ________________.
  10. I put the bag on or beside the ________________.
  11. Flower arranging is a traditional ________________ in Japan.
  12. He spent years learning his ________________ as a carpenter.
  13. Small ________________ should stay in the harbor during the storm.
  14. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  15. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  16. That was ________________ to happen.
  17. Did you ________________ the meat?
  18. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  19. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  20. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  21. That was a fun ________________.
  22. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  23. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  24. Boris sat near the fire ________________.

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

Answer key

  1. snap — to speak sharply
  2. game — wild animals
  3. trunk — of a car
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. pit — in a race
  6. snap — to click
  7. pit — a fruit stone
  8. chair — a leader
  9. chair — a professorship
  10. chair — to sit on
  11. craft — a handicraft
  12. craft — a skill
  13. craft — boats
  14. bound — obliged
  15. game — a kind of play
  16. bound — certain
  17. season — to add flavour
  18. trunk — of an elephant
  19. season — in sport
  20. bound — tied together
  21. game — a match
  22. season — of the year
  23. snap — to snap out of it
  24. pit — a hole

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