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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. False peace will not ________________.
  2. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  3. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  4. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  5. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  6. Fill up this ________________ with water.
  7. The ________________ was stolen yesterday, along with the balls.
  8. Fiction is obliged to ________________ to possibilities. Truth isn't.
  9. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  10. It's hotel ________________. Please let me in.
  11. Tom didn't even ________________ an eye.
  12. The old man leaned on his ________________.
  13. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  14. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  15. The ________________ will go to the well once too often.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. Speak softly and carry a big ________________.
  18. This is the first time I've ever walked with a ________________.
  19. He is an ace ________________.
  20. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  21. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  22. The office ________________ worked quickly and efficiently to resolve the problem.
  23. The ________________ hangs upside down in the cave.
  24. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!

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

Answer key

  1. last — to go on
  2. pit — a fruit stone
  3. track — to keep track
  4. trunk — of an elephant
  5. pit — a hole
  6. pitcher — a jug
  7. bat — for baseball
  8. stick — to attach or keep to
  9. pit — in a race
  10. staff — employees
  11. bat — in an idiom
  12. staff — a stick
  13. last — finally
  14. trunk — of a tree
  15. pitcher — a jug
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. stick — a piece of wood
  18. stick — a piece of wood
  19. pitcher — in baseball
  20. track — a song
  21. track — a path
  22. staff — employees
  23. bat — the animal
  24. last — final

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