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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. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  2. To what ________________ are you interested in baseball?
  3. In my city, the temperature is one ________________ above zero.
  4. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  5. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  6. The train ________________ at six o'clock.
  7. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  8. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  9. That was ________________ to happen.
  10. I can't ________________ this cold.
  11. The tickets are free of ________________.
  12. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  13. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  14. He always ________________ the window open while he sleeps.
  15. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  16. The ________________ change colour in autumn.
  17. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  18. The train was so full that I had to ________________ all the while.
  19. A university ________________ is the ticket to a successful career.
  20. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  21. A smaller training pitch was installed beside the main ________________.
  22. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  23. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a fruit stone
  2. degree — an amount
  3. degree — temperature
  4. charge — electricity
  5. trunk — of a car
  6. leaves — to go away
  7. wax — for sculpting
  8. trunk — of a tree
  9. bound — certain
  10. stand — to bear
  11. charge — a price
  12. pit — a hole
  13. wax — in the ear
  14. leaves — lets stay
  15. pit — in a race
  16. leaves — of a tree
  17. wax — to grow
  18. stand — on your feet
  19. degree — from a university
  20. charge — in control
  21. stand — for spectators
  22. trunk — of an elephant
  23. bound — obliged
  24. bound — tied together

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