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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. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  2. We have nothing to ________________ here.
  3. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  4. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  5. Don't do anything ________________.
  6. There's a broken ________________ in the bed.
  7. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  8. Why are you trying to ________________ your feelings?
  9. They were given a penalty ________________ just minutes from the end.
  10. The flowers bloom in the ________________.
  11. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  12. Did you ________________ the meat?
  13. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  14. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  15. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  16. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  17. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  18. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  19. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  20. One ________________ from a giraffe's hind leg is enough to kill a lion.
  21. The hotel is built around a mineral ________________.
  22. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  23. I get a ________________ out of her cheerful personality.
  24. She was laid on a cow-________________ and covered by a coarse woollen blanket.

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

Answer key

  1. object — an aim
  2. hide — to keep secret
  3. season — in sport
  4. trunk — of a tree
  5. rash — hasty
  6. spring — a coil
  7. object — to protest
  8. hide — to keep secret
  9. kick — in football
  10. spring — the season
  11. rash — on the skin
  12. season — to add flavour
  13. rash — a series
  14. pit — a fruit stone
  15. trunk — of a car
  16. trunk — of an elephant
  17. object — a thing
  18. season — of the year
  19. pit — a hole
  20. kick — with a leg
  21. spring — of water
  22. pit — in a race
  23. kick — a thrill
  24. hide — animal skin

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