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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. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  2. Jarno Trulli was disqualified for passing a red light at the ________________ exit.
  3. Michael Jackson and Prince changed the history of ________________ music.
  4. Have you ever swallowed an apricot ________________?
  5. The goat rested comfortably on a soft bed of ________________.
  6. Don't do anything ________________.
  7. The tree's ________________ was scarred by lightning strikes.
  8. The ________________ took off on time.
  9. We're almost out of ________________.
  10. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  11. A drowning man will clutch at a ________________.
  12. The soldiers did ________________ on the parade ground every morning.
  13. The carpenter used a ________________ to smooth the door.
  14. In geometry, a flat surface is called a ________________.
  15. I need a ________________ to install the towel rack.
  16. I've got the luggage in my ________________.
  17. This knife is not ________________ enough.
  18. Boris sat near the fire ________________.
  19. It's one o'clock ________________.
  20. The elephant has a huge ________________.
  21. We had a fire ________________ at school today.
  22. You don't need to ________________ round.
  23. It always has to be a ________________ man with them.
  24. He's quite ________________, isn't he?

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

Answer key

  1. rash — on the skin
  2. pit — in a race
  3. pop — music
  4. pit — a fruit stone
  5. straw — dry grass
  6. rash — hasty
  7. trunk — of a tree
  8. plane — an aircraft
  9. pop — soda
  10. rash — a series
  11. straw — to clutch at straws
  12. drill — army training
  13. plane — a tool
  14. plane — in geometry
  15. drill — the tool
  16. trunk — of a car
  17. sharp — with an edge
  18. pit — a hole
  19. sharp — exactly
  20. trunk — of an elephant
  21. drill — a practice
  22. pop — to visit
  23. straw — a straw man
  24. sharp — clever

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