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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. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  2. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  3. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  4. That was ________________ to happen.
  5. The museum has ________________ figures of famous people.
  6. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.
  7. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.
  8. Spring is a pleasant ________________.
  9. The moon will ________________ and wane.
  10. What's the best way to remove ear ________________?
  11. We wanted to take a walk to ________________ the time.
  12. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  13. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  14. Did you ________________ the meat?
  15. No doubt you will be able to ________________ the examination.
  16. Remember our ________________: no talking to strangers, no matter what.
  17. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  18. That was a fun ________________.
  19. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  20. The chairman did not ________________ out the possibility of a disagreement.
  21. They retained the League and Cup in his second ________________.
  22. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  23. You can't go backstage without a ________________.
  24. Will civil ________________ and democracy continue in Algeria?

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

Answer key

  1. pit — a hole
  2. trunk — of a car
  3. trunk — of an elephant
  4. bound — certain
  5. wax — for sculpting
  6. bound — tied together
  7. game — a kind of play
  8. season — of the year
  9. wax — to grow
  10. wax — in the ear
  11. pass — to spend time
  12. game — wild animals
  13. pit — in a race
  14. season — to add flavour
  15. pass — to succeed
  16. rule — a law
  17. bound — obliged
  18. game — a match
  19. pit — a fruit stone
  20. rule — to rule out
  21. season — in sport
  22. trunk — of a tree
  23. pass — a permit
  24. rule — government

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