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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 120 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 need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. The girl drawing a picture in the first ________________ is my niece.
  4. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  5. The water is too ________________.
  6. I had a ________________ with my boss today.
  7. Don't ________________ out at me just because you're upset.
  8. The spa offers ________________ extensions.
  9. He felt the sting of the whip's ________________.
  10. ________________ out of it! You haven't done a thing all week.
  11. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  12. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  13. I had a bad ________________ and was in bed for a week.
  14. When I ________________ my fingers, you'll wake up.
  15. We had to ________________ the boat across the lake.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. Its rival in the ________________ War, the Soviet Union, exploited this at the time.
  18. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  19. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  20. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  23. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  24. You don't have to ________________ at me like that.

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

Answer key

  1. deal — to handle
  2. pit — in a race
  3. row — a line
  4. trunk — of a car
  5. cold — not warm
  6. row — a quarrel
  7. lash — to lash out
  8. lash — an eyelash
  9. lash — a whip stroke
  10. snap — to snap out of it
  11. track — a song
  12. track — to keep track
  13. cold — an illness
  14. snap — to click
  15. row — to paddle
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. cold — the Cold War
  18. pit — a fruit stone
  19. track — a path
  20. pit — a hole
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. deal — a big deal
  23. trunk — of a tree
  24. snap — to speak sharply

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